


Rock Paper Scissors

by mistresscurvy



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: BDSM, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Safewords, Switching, please see end notes for more detailed content information
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 14:22:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6156433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistresscurvy/pseuds/mistresscurvy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Switch, verb: to shift from one to another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rock Paper Scissors

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [One Direction Big Bang Round Four](http://1dbigbang.tumblr.com/tagged/round%3A-four). Thank you to all of the mods for running this fantastic challenge! 
> 
> Thank you so much to bek for creating [an incredible fic header and an amazing mix](http://mistresscurvy.tumblr.com/post/140413883522/title-rock-paper-scissors-author-mistresscurvy) for this story. She was also my beta for this fic, and it is immeasurably better for her contributions. 
> 
> Thank you to lokte for being the most flexible and wonderful Britpick in the world <3 <3 <3
> 
> This fic required a lot of cheerleading along the way, and harriet_vane, oliviacirce and helcinda are the reasons this story even got finished. I am so lucky to have all of you as friends <33333
> 
> I decided not to tag for every kink included in this fic because then the fic heading would be almost as long as the fic itself. If you would like more specifics about what this fic entails before reading it, please see the end notes for more detailed content information.

**_Prologue_ **

_Louis_

In the end, it happened the second Louis stopped trying to prevent it.

It was late at night, after their latest songwriting session with Jamie had ended, and Liam and Louis wound up sat together on the sofa, watching Fast 5 again. Louis was knackered after a full day of writing and could barely focus on something he'd seen a million times before, so it was a good choice. Typically, Liam was still buzzing with energy from how well the writing had gone; he had even wanted to push through and try to finish the song they were working on, but Louis and Jamie had convinced him it needed some space, some time to breathe, and that they'd come back to it later and the rest of it would write itself. Louis loved writing with Liam, but sometimes he thought that Liam still had a lot to learn about the art of being a bit lazy after a long day of work. At least he'd managed to convince Liam to channel his adrenaline into watching Brian and Dom and the gang do insane things all in the name of family (and in the name of driving incredible cars incredibly fast). 

"Bet I could do that," Liam said during one of the chase scenes. 

Louis snorted. "Just because you own a fancy car doesn't mean you can drive like that." 

"Maybe I'll get some lessons. We could go together, it'd be sick." Liam slung his arm over Louis's shoulders, resettling the both of them until their sides were pressed against each other. They both sank back into the cushions of the sofa as they watched the end of the chase. 

Liam's fingers brushed back and forth over the fabric of Louis's t-shirt, and curled up underneath the cuff of his sleeve. "I'm a bit sweaty," Louis said, but he didn't shrug Liam's hand away, and Liam kept doing it, the tips of his fingers stroking over his skin. 

It was nothing Liam hadn't done a thousand times before, the pressure and sweep of his fingers immediately familiar to Louis. It shouldn't have been remarkable at all. But perhaps it was the long day of writing, or the level of comfort in the touch, that made it impossible for Louis to ignore how it made him feel. 

He didn't _want_ to ignore it anymore, was the thing. They had all spent too long pretending not to notice things over the past year, and look how that had exploded in March. This was a completely different powder keg, but it had been growing bigger and bigger after both of their relationships had finally fizzled out. Louis had spent close to five years toeing a line he couldn't even remember drawing. Time to find out what would happen if he crossed it. 

So he put his hand on Liam's thigh, just above the knee. Nothing was out of the ordinary about that. Not the way his fingers slowly stroked over the inner seam of Liam's jeans, or the answering caress of Liam's hand against Louis's bare arm. Louis felt a bit like the proverbial frog in a slowly heating pot of water, only he wasn't sure if he was the one controlling the gas, or the frog. Probably they were both frogs in there together, but he didn't care at all. 

He firmly put aside the thought of boiling amphibians and shifted slightly on the sofa, tucking himself closer to Liam. As he did, he let his hand slide further up Liam's thigh. 

Liam's fingers stilled for a moment. Louis managed to breathe normally, but it was difficult. He kept his focus straight ahead, his eyes barely registering what what happening on the screen in front of them. A moment later, Liam's fingers resumed their slow sweep across Louis's skin, and it became easier to breathe again. 

They sat like that through explosion after explosion followed by yet another car chase, Louis's hand inching its way up Liam's thigh the whole time. He didn't let himself think too much about what he was doing, or how close he was to touching Liam's dick in a completely different way from the love taps he gave him during fights on stage. He just let it happen, like he was watching the path of his hand from afar, like he didn't have anything to do with it.

His heart was pounding in his chest; Louis was certain Liam could hear it, or the way his breath had got all shallow. But he pressed on, hand curling around the meat of Liam's upper thigh, fingers creeping ever closer. When Louis's hand was barely an inch from his dick, Liam finally reacted, putting his hand over Louis's. "Louis," Liam said tentatively. 

Louis shook his head and turned further toward Liam, giving up all pretense of watching the film. He pressed his face against Liam's neck, nosing closer. "Tell me to stop," he whispered, kissing Liam's throat. He felt Liam shudder against him, hand tightening on Louis's. He kissed him again, working his way up Liam's jaw, and he began to shake when Liam turned his head toward him while squeezing harder on Louis's hand. 

"I don't want you to," Liam said simply, and things shifted just a fraction more and they were kissing. 

There was the first initial surreal moment of realisation, of thinking _I'm kissing Liam_ quickly followed by _finally,_ and then the kiss moved from being sweet and almost chaste to being decidedly not, Louis opening his mouth into it. He wiggled around until he was practically in Liam's lap, wanting to be as close to him as he could manage, not wanting an inch of space between them now that they'd actually crossed this line. Liam tugged him closer, his big hand getting a hold of Louis's arse and suddenly Louis was straddling Liam, kneeling up over him, his hands in Liam's hair. 

He broke away for a moment, sitting back a bit on Liam's thighs while he caught his breath, and he stared down at Liam. And wasn't that a nice sensation. "Look who's tall now," he said triumphantly, bouncing a bit and admiring the view from his elevated vantage point. 

"You are," Liam said agreeably, not even fighting it, and where was the fun in that? But then Liam slid his hand through Louis's hair until he was cupping the back of his head and tugging him down for another kiss, and Louis decided not to argue further. 

He took over the kiss, exploring Liam's mouth while he rolled his hips against Liam's. His fingers went searching for Liam's nipples, his dick getting even harder at the sound Liam made into his mouth when he twisted sharply. He'd been half-hard for most of the film in truth, but his dick was now trapped against his fly, the pressure adding to the pleasure of it. 

Both of Liam's hands gripping Louis's arse didn't hurt either, or the way he squeezed and pulled Louis closer every time he ground down on Liam's lap. Louis had got both hands in Liam's hair while they kissed, tipping his head back just right. He shifted over to find out how Liam would react to a bite to his ear; the result was a loud moan and a thrust up from the sofa. 

"Louis, stop teasing me," Liam panted. 

Louis shook his head. He bit and sucked his way down Liam's neck and then leaned back so he could look at Liam. "Where would the fun in that be?" he asked, giving Liam's hair a little tug. 

Liam's eyes narrowed at him. "Come on," he complained, and tried to move forward to kiss Louis again. But Louis gripped his hair hard, keeping him still, Liam unable to bridge the distance. He could wait. Finally Liam stopped struggling and let his head fall back, no longer pulling against Louis's hand. 

"I think I like it up here," Louis said with a smirk, which was a tactical error. He didn't realise how badly he'd fucked up until Liam got that determined look on his face; the next thing Louis knew he was flat on his back on the sofa with Liam hovering over him. 

Liam grinned down at him, triumphant. "Yeah, I see what you mean." Before Louis could take the opportunity to voice his protests, Liam had kissed him again, and any theoretical objections were forgotten. It was hard to focus on the indignity of Liam being able to manhandle him so easily when Louis was being kissed so thoroughly. A small part of his brain pointed out quietly that perhaps he was less indignant about how much stronger Liam was and more, well, pleased.

He was able to push such thoughts aside quite easily when Liam snaked a hand down between them and got it on Louis's dick. "Oh, fuck," he breathed into Liam's mouth, thrusting up into the touch.

"Yeah?" Liam asked, his fingers already working at Louis's flies, since apparently he didn't even need to look to be able to do that. Probably he could get a girl's bra off one-handed with his eyes closed, too. Louis refused to think about how that mental image made him more turned on rather than less and focused instead on Liam's hand slipping into his pants, his fingers around Louis's dick firm and assured. 

It was almost insulting that Liam was able to literally get a grip without even missing a beat, his hand stroking Louis steadily, like it was an everyday thing and not something brand new between them that was blowing Louis's mind. But then Liam choked out, "Oh god, I love touching you, it's incredible," with a note of wonder in his voice, like he was totally overwhelmed. 

So Louis thrust up into Liam's hand and kissed him hard, murmuring, "That's it, Payno," against his mouth. And just that little bit of encouragement was enough for Liam, it seemed, because somehow his movement got even more confident, each stroke ending with a twist over the head of Louis's cock that made him moan. 

"Do you like that? I love it," Liam told him, and Louis nodded frantically and bit down on Liam's shoulder and came, his entire body shaking, the weight of Liam above him the only thing keeping him from flying away. His fingers were clutching at Liam's back, and he pulled Liam down until he could kiss him again, feeling altogether too shattered from just a simple handie. 

After he felt less like he was in danger of saying something unforgivably mushy, he broke away from the kiss and tried to regain a little bit of the upper hand. "You wanna come on me?" he asked, with a bravado he didn't quite feel. But it was worth the risk of embarrassment when Liam immediately went red. "Oh, you _do._ " 

Liam could hardly look at him. "You wouldn't mind?" 

Louis tugged his t-shirt up higher, exposing his belly. He was already a mess from coming himself, so it wasn't like more would hurt, but he wasn't going to say it like that to Liam. "Come on, I want to see it."

Somehow Liam got even redder at that, but he did what Louis said, getting his jeans and pants down and his cock out. It was satisfying to see how hard he was, to know that Louis hadn't been the only affected by what they were doing. "Um, now what?" Liam asked, suddenly seeming uncertain and almost bashful in a way he hadn't been at all when he'd been taking Louis apart.

Louis flung one arm above his head and blinked up at Liam, noting the way Liam's mouth dropped open a little in response. "Now I want to watch," Louis said. Liam swallowed hard, his hand curling around his dick. Louis reached out and steadied him with one hand on Liam's thigh, thumb sweeping back and forth over his leg hair. "Come on, just show me what you do, love." 

"Louis," Liam gasped, his hand already moving fast. 

"That's right," Louis encouraged him, fingers digging into his leg a bit. "You've been waiting for ages, just let it go." But by now Liam was already flying, panting as his hips snapped forward into his hand, his thumb squeezing the head of his cock on every stroke. His eyes never left Louis, tracing over his belly and chest before landing on his face again, and he stared at Louis as he started to come. 

"Oh fuck, I can't," he almost yelped, and Louis wanted to take the piss out of him for it but he was too mesmerised by how Liam looked as he came, his entire body tense as he shot all over Louis's skin. It wasn't in him to make fun of Liam right now, not when he'd just done exactly what Louis had asked him to. So instead he waited until Liam finally stopped coming, and then he sat up so that he could pull Liam down for a kiss, trying to put all of his feelings into it. "Was that okay?" Liam asked between kisses, so maybe Louis would have to tell him in words as well. 

"It was fucking perfect," Louis said, kissing him again. _You're_ fucking perfect, he managed not to say, but he was pretty sure Liam knew what he meant anyway from the way he kissed him back. Louis had come drying on his belly and was snogging his best mate and it was the best night he'd had in absolute ages. Maybe 2015 wasn't a complete pile of shit after all. 

He reserved the right to change his mind on that when Liam pulled away and didn't look at him. "This isn't gonna make things weird, right?" Liam asked after a moment, his brow furrowed.

Louis reached up and smoothed out Liam's forehead. "Don't be stupid," he answered, betting that Liam just needed him to show a bit of confidence, even if Louis was faking it. It paid off when Liam brightened and then laughed. 

"Well, weirder, I meant," Liam said, shifting them around until he was behind Louis on the sofa. The film wasn't over yet, apparently, which was nice. 

"You're a weirdo," Louis said fondly, and Liam responded by getting an arm around Louis's waist and kissing his cheek. So that, he supposed, was that.

**_June_ **

_Louis_

The oddest thing was how not odd it all ended up being. Or how very little it seemed to change.

Which wasn't to say that it didn't change anything. They weren't stupid; of course it did. But it didn't seem to change anything important, not even when they told Harry and Niall. 

That had been the one thing Liam had actually brought up the morning after the Fast Five night. Nothing about where that had come from, or whether they need to talk about it or figure out what they were doing or any of that. He had simply kissed Louis good morning and asked, "So when do you want to tell the lads?" 

It was nice, Louis thought, that there hadn't needed to be any discussion at all about whether they were really doing this thing once it had started. After a start to the year when Louis felt like more often than not he'd been out of step with various people in his life, it was a relief to be reminded so firmly that it had been a long, long time since he'd felt like that with Liam. 

Telling the boys had been just as simple, in the end. After everything that had happened in March, something as fundamentally _nice_ as Liam and Louis getting together didn’t even seem to faze Harry or Niall. There were a few comments about not letting it affect the band, but even those were pretty low-key. Aside from that, everything else among the four of them stayed the same. Liam still slung his arm around Louis's shoulders as easy as could be, which made it feel natural to respond just like he always had. There was no front to protect, nothing to put on in public; it was the same as it ever was. 

It was only behind closed doors that anything shifted. And even that felt like there had been some new dishes added to the menu, but they were still at the same restaurant. Before when he wanted a cuddle after a show, or during one of the long afternoons of waiting when they couldn't really go out and do anything so they were bored silly, a cuddle was all it was. Now it tended to involve some snogging and a nice handie at the end of it, if Louis was lucky (and usually he was). 

Tonight, though, he wanted something more than just a cuddle, or even a bit of kissing with an orgasm as a cherry on top. Tonight he wanted to be a bother. 

He didn't know what got into him on nights like this, why he was suddenly determined to be what he knew was a right pain. He just did, and Liam always let him get away with it, whether they were by themselves or on stage in front of thousands. So he'd started during the show itself, never giving Liam a moment's peace, his hands on his nipples and fingers digging into his sides and once, toward the end, he tapped Liam hard in the nads. 

It was great; it was _always_ great, up to and including Liam's exasperation and eventual retaliation. It kept his nerves down, like he was just having a laugh with his mate on a stage, so what did it matter how many people were watching him. There were probably better ways of dealing with a minor case of stage fright, but this way worked just fine for Louis, and he wasn't much interested in changing. 

Usually on a night like this he was done with harassing Liam by the time they played their final encore, but that itch was still there under his skin even on their way back to the hotel, dying to get out. So he let it, still poking and prodding at Liam in the car all the way back, driving both Alberto and Paddy mad, but he couldn't stop. He didn't want to. 

He didn't even when Liam said, "Stop it, Louis, _Jesus_ ," his hands finding Louis's wrists and squeezing hard. If anything that made him want to do it more, made it more important that he break free and--he didn't know what. What was it he wanted, anyway? Didn't matter; point was he was going to get it. 

So he kept trying, since Liam's grip was still gentle enough that he could break free if he really wanted to. And he did, which meant it was a never ending cycle of Louis getting his fingers up into Liam's armpits and Liam grabbing his hands and pulling him away and then loosening his grip just enough for Louis to escape and go after another soft spot on Liam's body. 

By the time they made it to the hotel, he suspected Paddy and Alberto were going to jointly decide to murder them both and dispose of the bodies and deal with the fallout rather than put up with their nonsense any longer. He felt a bit bad about it, but not bad enough to stop, and anyway if Liam had just put his back into it a bit more he could have stopped Louis, no problem. 

It was with that thought in mind that he followed Liam into his hotel room, ignoring his own, and pinched the soft skin of Liam's belly, really digging his fingers into the tender spot. 

"Louis, will you fucking quit it!" Liam yelled, sounding proper mad at him for the first time in ages. Louis felt like his entire body was buzzing. 

"Make me," Louis said, reaching out again to get at Liam's nipple this time. Liam intercepted his hand, getting his fingers tight around Louis's wrist and squeezing hard. 

"But why can't you just stop?" Liam asked plaintively. He started to let go of Louis's wrist, and that wasn't it at all. 

"Because I need you to make me, come on," Louis pleaded, his voice suddenly raspy. Liam stilled, his eyes widening, and he scanned down Louis's body until he reached the crotch of Louis's jeans, where he was visibly hard. Louis swallowed and nodded, reaching out yet again to get his fingers on Liam. 

This time when Liam's hands closed around both of Louis's wrists, he didn't let go once the danger had passed. He just held on and tugged Louis's arms up over his head, his eyes never leaving Louis's face. "Yeah?" he asked as he walked them back toward the wall next to the bed. 

"Yeah," Louis answered, the word breaking in the middle when Liam slammed him up against the wall and kissed him, his hands pressing Louis's wrists firmly back. He was pinned, completely unable to move no matter how much he struggled, the weight of Liam's body keeping him in place. He moaned into Liam's mouth as he relaxed into it. 

"Finally," Liam muttered against his lips before kissing him again, tongue aggressive. "Thought you'd never calm down." 

"Told you to stop me," Louis panted back, his entire body thrumming. His arms were shaking a bit, but he knew Liam had him here, finally. 

Liam slotted his thigh between Louis's legs and began to rock against Louis's dick, the friction just barely on the right side of pain. Louis thumped his head back against the wall and just let Liam move against him, let him control the whole show. 

"You did tell me, didn't you," Liam said, kissing his way down Louis's neck. "Well, I finally listened." He was doing something with his hands on Louis's wrists, and Louis had a moment's panic that he was going to let him go. Louis wasn't ready. He made a little whining noise of protest, but Liam just shushed him softly. Suddenly Louis realised Liam had got one hand pinning both of his wrists at once, Louis's hands crossed against each other, and he whimpered when he tested it to discover that Liam only needed the one arm to keep him still. 

"That's right," Liam murmured, his free hand now skimming down Louis's torso. "There we go." And without warning, he reached up and pinched Louis's nipple hard, twisting it as he kissed Louis and pressed his wrists even more firmly against the wall, and Louis bucked up against Liam's thigh and came with a muffled cry. 

Liam was the only thing keeping him upright through it, his body solid and sure against Louis's as he shook apart with his orgasm, his mind and body both quiet and happy for the first time all day. He felt floaty and a bit dazed, and he couldn't quite remember how they'd got back to the hotel, or how he'd wound up against the wall, even. But he kept his focus on Liam, even as his arms were slowly lowered back to his sides, pins and needles of sensation coursing through them, and as long as Liam was looking at him like that, and looking after him, nothing could be too bad. He closed his eyes and let himself go. 

 

_Liam_

The nicest thing about whatever it was that was happening between him and Louis was they never seemed to talk about it. 

They talked all the time, of course, about normal stuff; about music and the schedule and, well, work, but when work was as all-consuming as it was for them, that was to be expected. And the lines between work and the rest of his life had never been particularly clear at the best of times. 

That had been the problem in the end, with Sophia, or at least one of them. He'd never known how to turn off the side of his brain that was always thinking about the band and writing and everything else. It'd been even worse during the months leading up to Zayn's departure, the constant effort to talk around the difficulties that were clearly there but never actually dealt with exhausting. 

But on top of that, Liam knew he had needed to do a better job of actually talking about his feelings with Sophia and, well. He was a bit rubbish at that, to be honest. He'd tried, really he had, but he'd get stuck in the middle of a conversation feeling like he'd forgot his line and there was no one there to cue him. Once he had tried to explain that to her, but it only seemed to make things worse. They'd broken up not long after that never-finished talk. It seemed like after years of everyone in the band handling everything okay, they'd all hit their growing pains at once somehow. 

That's not how it felt between him and Louis, though. If anything, it felt like something they'd grown into because of all those struggles, something natural and impossible to explain to anyone on the outside. It was still them, same as always, only not. It felt like the opposite of the final days of Zayn being in the band. That had been like an illness that no one had dared to say out loud, until one day they all woke up and discovered it was terminal. This felt like the kind of surety he'd heard in all the great love songs of the world but never fully understood until now. 

The only problem with never having to talk about this new thing between them, however, was now that Liam had something he wanted to bring up, he didn't quite know how. 

It felt weird to even think about it as a problem. What they'd fallen into was the opposite of a problem to be solved, really. He just didn't quite know how to say that he wanted even more. 

All of the snogging and handjobs and pushing Louis up against the wall and grinding against him was very nice. Better than nice, obviously, that was the least he could say. It was a bit mind-blowing, like a door to a room he hadn't even known existed in his house had suddenly been knocked down, and there was an entire other wing there he'd never explored.

He wanted to _keep_ exploring, that was the thing, but everything from here on in was uncharted territory for the both of them, unless Louis'd been keeping things from him, and he didn't know how to bridge the gap. 

So he thought about it during days off, and then a bit more during soundcheck and then a show, and he was still thinking about it later that night, when he was sat on the sofa in his hotel suite with Louis and having a bit of a snog.

"Alright, out with it," Louis said briskly, breaking away from a kiss and pinning Liam with a look. 

"Out with what?" Liam tried, but Louis just rolled his eyes at that effort.

"Out with whatever it is you've been dwelling over for the last couple of days. Come on now," Louis ordered, with a poke to Liam's chest for emphasis. 

Maybe they didn't talk that much about their feelings, but that wasn't because they didn't notice, apparently. Or at least Louis did. Liam took a deep breath. "I want to try something new." 

That clearly hadn't been what Louis was expecting at all. "New in what way?"

"Just, you know." Liam waved his hand between the two of them. "New with us." He could feel the blush rising up on his face; he just hoped it wasn't as obvious to Louis as it felt to him. 

Louis stared at him for a moment longer before breaking out into a big grin. "That's what you've been fretting over? You had me worried, Payno."

"Worried about what?" Liam asked, afraid he'd missed something else in all this. 

Louis waved his hand away. "Isn't important anymore, is it? Now come on," he said, somehow getting even closer to Liam. "Do you want to tell me what you want, or just show me?" 

He said that last bit right into Liam's ear, and he shuddered from it, and the way Louis's hand had softly moved down his face, stroking over his cheek. Liam felt like he probably should say it, but since he didn't have to, maybe he wouldn't, just this once. So he asked, "Can I just show you?"

"'Course, if you'd rather," Louis said, his hand still petting over Liam's face and then down his neck. 

"Keep doing that," Liam said, and then, before he could lose his nerve, he slid off the sofa until he was kneeling between Louis's legs. 

Louis's hand stilled for a moment, but then he started brushing over Liam's face again. "Ah." 

"I'll probably be rubbish at this," Liam said, determinedly not looking at Louis's face while he worked on getting Louis's jeans undone. "But I just want to." 

Louis laughed, but it wasn't a mean sound. "Well, I'm not going to stop you." 

Liam had to look up at that, to see the smile that he had heard in Louis's voice. "That's big of you, thanks." 

"I'll show you big," Louis said, thrusting his hips up just as Liam managed to get his jeans and pants down around his thighs. 

"Yeah, yeah," Liam said, his heart pounding from suddenly being face to face with Louis's cock. It was what he wanted, was exactly what he had been thinking about for days now, but imagining it and actually having it right there in front of him were two different things entirely. He reached out and got his hand around it, hearing the sharp inhale of breath from Louis when he gave it a steady stroke. That, at least, was familiar by now. 

He looked back up at Louis's face. "Just, keep touching me, please."

"Whatever you want, love," Louis said, bringing his other hand up and running it through Liam's hair. Liam took a deep breath and leaned in to put his mouth on someone's dick for the first time. 

It wasn't at all like he'd expected. He'd thought it might feel anonymous or detached, the way it had when he'd daringly tried sucking on a banana still in the peel and then quickly stopped, as if someone might know what he'd done. But he'd been thinking about it all wrong, he discovered, because the second he opened his mouth and sucked just the head of Louis's dick into his mouth, fist firmly wrapped around the base of it, he was only aware of the fact that it was Louis's dick he was sucking. It was one of the most intimate things he'd ever done. Which made sense, if he thought about it, since eating Sophia out had also felt like being right at the heart of everything in a way that even fucking never did, but somehow he'd assumed that giving a blowjob would be different. 

He didn't have the mental space to get embarrassed about that though. He was too busy getting hard from sucking on Louis's cock, from listening to Louis's words of encouragement and feeling Louis's hands running all over his face and head as he gently thrust forward into Liam's mouth. 

"That's it, just like that," he heard Louis murmuring above him, his voice breaking through the fog in Liam's head. "Oh god, you're so good at this already, aren't you? Right out of the gate. Such a good boy." Liam moaned at the words and sucked harder, determined to live up to them, and his body lit up at Louis's answering gasp. " _My_ good boy," Louis added, the thread of possessiveness in his voice matching the firmness of Louis's fingers on his head, his hands gripping Liam's hair as he started to move Liam to match his rhythm. 

Liam wanted to tell him that he was, he was Louis's good boy, that was exactly it, but his mouth was full at the moment. So he told him the only way he could, by sucking harder and trying to take more and more of him into his mouth, his entire world narrowing down to the feel of Louis's dick sliding over his tongue, the taste and smell of it surrounding him, the pressure of Louis's hands guiding him, and the sound of Louis's voice always anchoring him, keeping him steady. 

It could have been thirty seconds or thirty minutes before Louis finally gasped out Liam's name and came, filling Liam's mouth. Liam'd lost all sense of time, all sense of anything other than being exactly what Louis called him, earning the praise. It didn't matter; he was tethered to the earth by Louis, and that was all he needed to know. 

 

_Louis_

"Liam, carry me," Louis commanded. 

It had been a long day, and an even longer time since Louis had last asked Liam to carry him around. But Louis was tired, and he was getting to the point of the European leg when he was counting down the shows until they got a short breather before the U.S. tour started. It was all fine, nothing too stressful, but he had just had enough of it all today. Time for Liam to carry him for a bit, literally. 

Liam rolled his eyes but then turned around and crouched down, holding his arms out so that he'd be ready to catch Louis as soon as he jumped on. So Louis did, getting his arms round Liam's broad shoulders and his ankles hooked around his waist. He rested his head on Liam's back and just let himself drift while Liam got them to their car. 

He'd thought that might be enough, but by the time they reached the hotel he was still feeling like perhaps Liam needed to do more for him. "Liam, my back hurts," he complained, fairly certain that would do the trick. 

Sure enough, Liam looked over at him and frowned, his face the picture of concern. "Did you do something to it?"

Louis shook his head. "Nah, just feel a bit tense all over." It was true and everything, even if it wasn't exactly a pressing need. 

"Do you want a backrub?" Liam asked, walking over to where Louis was sat on the bed, already in a t-shirt and trackies for the night. 

"You wouldn't mind?" Louis asked, suddenly feeling a bit like maybe he was carrying this all a bit too far. 

Liam looked almost offended at the question. "Of course not, Louis. If you need that I'd be happy to do it."

Louis looked at him more closely to see if this was another time Liam was just putting himself last in a way that only hurt everyone in the end, when it was suddenly discovered that he'd been running himself ragged for ages but no one had noticed. Louis didn't relish the idea of that happening again, thanks. But to his eye Liam looked perfectly sincere, almost eager, and if that was how he felt about it, who was Louis to say no. 

"Well, alright then," Louis said generously.

"Don't put yourself out on my account," Liam said dryly, but he was already shifting Louis onto his belly and straddling his hips, so he couldn't have been too grumpy about it.

When Liam got his hands on Louis's back, Louis revised his previous thought about not actually needing a backrub. Liam had already found three big knots of tension, and Louis groaned into the mattress. 

"Where on earth did all this come from?" Liam asked from above him, his thumb digging almost underneath his shoulder blade to get at the heart of it. 

"Dunno," Louis answered, his face pressed flat. He was drooling a little, but he didn't care. It was important to ride out tension like this, he was pretty sure. "This leg's been a lot. Ready for a break." 

Liam's hands stilled on his back for a moment, and then they started moving up and down Louis's back in big sweeping motions. "We need to get out there a bit more. Go have some fun and relax." 

"This is relaxing," Louis said, the words muffled against the duvet, but somehow Liam seemed to understand him anyway. 

"Yeah, but like. It can't only be this." Louis felt like arguing, and would have, but Liam's hands had come back up to his shoulders and were pressing out over his muscles, and Louis felt a bit like it had short circuited his brain, unfortunately. Or maybe it was actually fortunate, and exactly what he needed. Sometimes it was hard to tell. 

By the time Liam did a final sweep of his hands over Louis's shoulders and down his back, Louis felt like a wobbly noodle, his muscles and skin hot from all the blood rising to the surface. He groaned as Liam climbed off his back, and managed to flop over so that he could see him. Blinking from the sudden bright light of the room, he glanced up and reached for Liam's face. "Thanks, babe."

Liam ducked his head. "Feel better?"

Louis nodded; he really did. "Can I do anything for you?"

Liam shook his head. "No, I just liked doing that."

Louis snorted. "Liked being a servant for me, yeah, I bet." He was startled when Liam went a bit pink at his words and turned away. "Hey."

"No, I know it's a bit weird." Liam had looked back at Louis, at least, or Louis'd be more worried he'd really fucked things up with his big mouth. "I just. It's nice knowing that I make you feel good." 

Louis's eyes had finally adjusted to the light, and he clocked the fact that Liam was hard in his trackies, dick obvious and dying for notice. "It's nice, huh?" Louis asked, looking down at Liam's hard on and then back up at Liam's face. 

Liam went redder. "I told you I liked it." 

"I know," Louis said, a bit more gentle this time. "Is that because of me, then?"

Liam nodded. "You know it is."

"Yeah, but it seems we're not quite finished, then, yeah?" Louis spread his legs a little, pleased when Liam's eyes went wide. "I mean, you're dealing with that monster in your pants, and I think I could get a bit more relaxed, too."

"Yeah?" Liam asked, sounding a bit more certain now, and Louis congratulated himself on his excellent people skills. Or maybe they were really just Liam skills, but those were the most important kind.

"Yeah," Louis confirmed. "Here, get those off, I've got an idea. Nothing crazy," he added when Liam looked a little spooked again. He wasn't sure exactly why Liam was so hesitant tonight, but he was determined to get them both back on track. Louis made quick work of his own clothes, chucking his t-shirt and trackies into a corner and then lying back down on his back, completely naked with Liam for the first time. Or at least the first time in this particular situation. 

Liam was also naked by now, his eyes sweeping over Louis's body in a way that made Louis flush hot. Louis never had to wonder how Liam felt about anything; whether he was happy or sad or turned on or cranky, it always showed up clear as day on Liam's face. And what Louis could see there now was more than he could handle thinking about at the moment. 

So he went to his old standby technique of distraction and tugged on Liam until he was kneeling between Louis's legs and looking down at him. "Closer," Louis said, determined to bluff his way through this if he had to. He got his legs up around Liam's thighs and pulled forward until their bodies were finally flush, their dicks sliding against each other. 

"Oh," Liam said, sounding pleasantly surprised. 

"Yeah," Louis said confidently. "Now weren't you going to keep relaxing me? Better get going, then." And he reached up to pull Liam in for a kiss. 

From there it was easy again, like taking a deep breath of air after surfacing from a dive to the very bottom of a pool. They moved with each other, catching the rhythm back and forth, the friction of their dicks against their bellies smoothed by sweat and pre-come. And the words came just as easily to Louis, the urge to whisper, "You want to make me feel good?" instinctive and safe. 

"Yes," Liam gasped into his ear before tucking his face against Louis's neck again, his hands fitting under Louis's body and groping his arse as he thrust against Louis. 

"Good, because you are, you always do." Louis was cut off by Liam kissing him again, and Louis threaded his fingers through his hair and held him there tightly as he began to come, adding to the slickness on their bellies. 

"Oh," Liam moaned into his mouth. 

"Yes, come on, it's your turn now, come on, sweetheart," Louis answered him, the pet name coming out of his mouth without conscious thought, just needing to let Liam know how precious he was. Louis didn't have to think too hard about what he just said because he was distracted by Liam coming, his body tensing up over Louis as his cock jerked with it, sliding through the mess on Louis's belly. 

They lay there together, panting, the thumps of their heartbeats reverberating through Louis's chest. He gave Liam one last kiss and then poked him on the shoulder. "How come I always end up with the mess all over me?"

Liam laughed. "I'm not exactly squeaky clean either. Time for a shower?" he asked, his eyes bright, showing none of the previous doubt. 

Louis smacked him on the arse. "Lead the way."

 

_Liam_

Louis wasn't the only one who was ready for a break. 

It was great, getting to be back out there in front of the fans after two months of writing and meetings with their team. Liam never felt as comfortable or as certain that this was what he wanted to do, what he was _meant_ to be doing with his life, as he did when he was up there on stage with his boys. It had taken less time than he'd feared to get used to it being just the four of them now, the whole show gelling together in a way it never had done before, if he was honest with himself. 

That didn't mean it didn't take a lot out of him, though. He gave so much, and he always got it back, from both the crowd and from his entire band now, but it still left him knackered. That was what made it so nice to be able to retreat into this new thing with Louis. It felt almost like it was just a game, like a perpetual round of Rock Paper Scissors, only neither of them ever lost, not really. 

Sometimes, however. Sometimes it felt like he was giving and giving and not quite getting back what he wanted there, too. And he hadn't known that he was ready to snap, but apparently he was. 

They were fooling around again after a show, just rolling around on Louis's hotel bed, and Louis pulled Liam's hand down to his dick. "Come on, get it out," Louis said against his mouth, and while normally that would make Liam hot all over and rush to do what he'd been told, tonight it just made him feel a bit surly, and a bit taken for granted. 

So he didn't, he just slipped his hand back up Louis's body and pulled him in for another hard kiss, which wasn't exactly what Louis had asked for but was a pretty nice thing all by itself, in his opinion. But Louis huffed and pulled away a little, looking like an extremely cross hedgehog. 

"Did you not hear me, then?" he demanded.

Liam tried to ignore how cute Louis looked when his hair was all spiky and messed from Liam's hands running through it and held onto his irritation. "I heard you," he said, grabbing hold of Louis's arse and squeezing hard, gratified when it made Louis thrust forward, his dick digging into Liam's thigh. "I just didn't feel like it."

Louis's mouth dropped open. "Didn't feel like it?" he repeated incredulously. "Well, what are we doing here then?" 

Liam rolled his eyes. "Well, we're snogging for a bit, and then I was thinking it'd be nice if you could blow me," he said frankly. He noted the way Louis's mouth dropped open further at his blunt talk and nodded, satisfied. "And then, if you're very good, maybe I'll let you come."

"You might _let_ me come?" Louis echoed faintly. 

"Yeah," Liam said, warming to the idea. "You always come first, always. And I don't normally mind it, do I, but I think tonight you just might need to wait." He reached down and squeezed Louis's dick hard on the word _wait. ___

__"Oh, fuck," Louis moaned, sounding far more desperate than he had two minutes ago when he'd been demanding a handjob. Liam watched him closely._ _

__"Well, we have to see if you deserve it, don't we?" he asked, testing out a theory, and it was proven when Louis's dick actually jumped in his hand at the words, Louis's fingers digging into Liam's biceps as he arched into it._ _

__"Liam, I can't," Louis moaned._ _

__Liam took a chance. "I think you can," he said into Louis's ear. "Can you be good for me?" He waited a moment, the only sound in the hotel room Louis's harsh breathing, but then Louis nodded. A wave of relief came over Liam; he had guessed right. "I knew you could," he murmured and kissed Louis's cheek. "Show me how good you can be at waiting."_ _

__When Louis pulled away, his face was pink over his cheeks, the colour uneven. Liam got a bit worried for a moment, and then Louis met his eyes, and he looked desperate and a bit overwhelmed but also happy in a way he hadn't even when he'd been trying to order Liam around. "Where...?" Louis started to ask and then he trailed off, looking to Liam like he would have all the answers._ _

__If answers were what Louis needed, Liam could give them to him. "Here, get between my legs," he said, maneuvering them both together. He got his clothes off first and then helped Louis out of his. When Liam got Louis's pants off, his cock bounced back up against his stomach, as hard as Liam had ever seen it, the head fully exposed from the foreskin and a drop of pre-come leaking from the tip. Liam wanted to get his mouth on it, wanted to swallow it down and see how quickly he could make Louis come, as close as he looked right now. But that wasn't what he had asked of Louis, or what they were doing right now, so he put that aside for now._ _

__"Okay," he said instead, spreading his legs and flushing a little at the way Louis looked down at his dick. "You haven't done this before, right?" Louis gave him a withering look and Liam almost laughed. "Alright, alright, I just thought I'd ask."_ _

__"You'd know if I had," Louis said softly._ _

__Liam nodded. "Well, I can tell you from my vast experience that it's not really all that difficult," he said. "Just, you know. Do what you think would feel good to you, maybe."_ _

__"Helpful," Louis muttered, but he gave Liam a little grin, so Liam didn't think he was being completely sarcastic._ _

__"So yeah. Just give it a go, alright? And if you hate it you don't have to," Liam added._ _

__"Shut up, I won't hate it," Louis said back, like the very suggestion he might not like it was an insult. Liam watched him take a deep breath and copied him, trying to prepare himself for the first touch of his mouth, but he discovered quickly that nothing could adequately prepare him for that._ _

__It was overwhelming from the first swipe of Louis's tongue across the head of his dick, just the sight of Louis doing this for him, hair still all over the place. Louis glanced up at him when Liam wasn't able to choke back a manly whine, and Liam almost apologised except that Louis moaned in response and took him down further. He set a rhythm quickly, his fist and mouth working in tandem to get Liam even harder, even closer to coming than he had been from the first instant, and at this rate Louis was barely going to have to wait to come at all because Liam was going to blow it after thirty seconds._ _

__It was that thought that made him grip Louis's hair and tug him away for a moment. "Slow down," he said. Louis looked back up at him, his eyes glazed over and mouth open and pink, and it took everything for Liam not to say never mind and pull him back onto his dick. But he had asked something of Louis, and he was going to make him earn it-- _deserve_ it. "Come on, baby," he said instead. He rubbed his thumb over Louis's lower lip, watching Louis's eyes slip shut at the contact. "Nice and slow." _ _

__Louis did as he asked, but if anything it made it worse, unbelievably. Because now that he wasn't stroking Liam's dick fast, he was taking him down further into his mouth, almost all of him slipping inside Louis. It was unfair, really, that Louis should be so good at this his first time out, like he'd been dying to get this for years and had just been waiting for the opportunity to experience it. Liam thought maybe he could make it tougher for him again by telling him. "You're so good at this," he tried, and was immediately rewarded by Louis moaning in response and sucking him harder. "And you're doing such a good job of waiting, oh fuck," he gasped out at the ceiling, his own control beginning to fly away. "Do you think you've waited long enough?"_ _

__Louis made what sounded like a noise of dissent, but he kept sucking, kept making it impossible for Liam to do anything but thrust up into his mouth and come, his orgasm shaking out of him in one long wave. He was pulling on Louis's hair hard, possibly too hard, but stopping was more than he could manage._ _

__Finally Louis let him slip out of his mouth, swallowing most of Liam's come, and he sat back on his heels, his dick still hard and wanting. "Liam," he begged, his hands moving closer to his dick and then stopping on his thighs as he looked up at Liam._ _

__"Don't touch," Liam rasped out. His brain was barely back on board but he still had that much sense. "You need to wait."_ _

__"Please," Louis pleaded, but he did as Liam asked and didn't move his hands, his dick bobbing between his legs while he waited._ _

__"You did such a good job though," Liam said, finally sitting back up and then getting onto his knees, mirroring Louis. He felt weak-limbed and floppy and he was beginning to appreciate that there might be something rather nice about getting to come second, since it meant he didn't have to be functional any longer. But he could think about that later. He reached out slowly and got his hand around Louis's dick, watching as Louis's entire body stiffened at just that touch. "So good," he murmured again, and he kissed Louis._ _

__Louis made a desperate noise into his mouth, the kiss sloppy and messy from the first touch, sharing the taste with Liam. Liam gave him one long stroke and Louis shuddered, one hand shooting out to grab onto Liam's forearm, stilling him._ _

__"No, no," Liam said against his mouth, suddenly just as desperate to see Louis come. "No, it's okay."_ _

__"Liam, can I, can I come?" Louis asked him, begged him, sounding frantic and so turned on Liam knew he'd be hearing that voice in his head for a long time._ _

__"Yes, come for me now, love, come on," Liam said, and the words were barely out of his mouth before Louis had arched forward and started to come, his dick pulsing in Liam's hand as he stroked him through it. He was shaking so hard Liam got his other arm around his waist, holding him up as he panted and then bit down hard on Liam's lip, the pain blooming through his body. But Liam didn't stop him, just let him have it, because he deserved it, after all._ _

__"That's right," he said once Louis had stopped coming, his forehead pressed against Liam's chest. "That's right," he said once more, holding Louis close and marveling at what the fuck they were doing._ _

__

____

**_July_ **

_Louis_

By the time the U.S. leg of the tour started, Louis was absolutely desperate to see Liam again. 

It had been a lovely holiday with his family in Southern California, a fantastic ten days of relaxing and seeing the sights and getting a sense of what it might be like to experience some free time in the future. He'd needed those days, needed to be able to just be his mum's son and his siblings' brother and nothing more, not a pop star or a songwriter or a music executive just starting out and finding his way. But it had been harder to be away from Liam than he'd expected. 

Liam had spent the last week documenting his every move on twitter and instagram, sharing his own family's holiday at Disney World. And it was nice, Louis supposed, that he got to see what he was up to when Louis wasn't around. It was better than nothing, but it irked him, a bit, to know that all that he saw was what Liam was sharing with everyone else in the world at the same time. Liam had always been crap at keeping in touch over the phone on breaks, and Louis hadn't really expected that it would be different now. But he might have been hoping a little, anyway. 

All in all he wasn't quite sure exactly what to expect when they were all in town together again. He knew how it would be with Harry and Niall, because that was the great thing about his friendships with each of them: they were a constant, and not even the fans could disrupt his friendship with them at this point. And he'd felt like that for ages with Liam too, and then the two of them had decided to blow things up and change all of the rules. 

He'd wondered a bit if that had been wise, or worth it. It was easy to remember that of course it was worth it when he saw Liam every day; his face and the way he smiled at Louis answered that quickly enough. But Louis would be lying if he said there wasn't just a touch of uncertainty creeping into his brain. Apparently long distance relationships could be shit even when it was with someone you worked and lived with nine months out of the year. 

Louis had worked himself up into a bit of a state by the time he actually made it to the hotel. He'd found out what Liam's room number was from their tour manager, and he went straight there after checking in. Nothing like ripping the plaster off to discover whether or not June had been some sort of weird fever dream. 

He was preparing himself for this possibility when he knocked on the door, all but certain that the Liam who opened it would be bashfully apologetic while asking him if they couldn't just go back to the way things had been before. 

The Liam he got was something else altogether. 

"Finally, I've been waiting for you for ages," Liam said, tugging him into the room. Louis had a joke ready in response to that, something about Liam obviously needing a second player for FIFA or something, but he never got to make it, since Liam had got the door locked behind him and Louis shoved up against the wall before he could make a sound. 

"Fuck, I missed you," Liam breathed out and kissed Louis hard, pressing him back into the wall, and Louis moaned and kissed him back, all worries or thoughts of anything other than Liam evaporating out of his mind. He'd forgotten the key point while he had been worrying and trying to figure things out: Liam Payne never did anything by halves. 

Well, Louis wouldn't make that mistake twice, getting his arms round Liam's neck and kissing him deeply, getting his tongue back in Liam's mouth like it belonged there. They were pressed against each other so tight there wasn't a hair's breadth between them, but somehow it still wasn't close enough, Louis digging his nails into Liam's back and scratching over his skin. Liam yelped into his mouth and then pulled away, his mouth wet and red from kissing Louis, and then he leant in and bit down on Louis's shoulder. 

Louis gasped, both from the pain and from the way it made his entire body light up, his dick aching in his jeans. He tilted his neck to the side when Liam pulled away again, giving him better access, but Liam didn't move in again. 

"I want to," he said eventually, after a long enough pause that Louis had started to get worried again. "But Lou and Lottie'll be so cross if they have to spend ages covering up a mark or something." 

Louis went a bit hot (and not in a good way) at the idea of his baby sister having to put coverup over a hickey on his neck, especially since she'd know full well who'd left it there. He cleared his throat and pushed Liam back just enough so that he could get his t-shirt off. "Lots of skin here," he said, holding his arms out and hoping he wouldn't have to ask again. 

Lucky for him Liam didn't bother wait for a formal invitation; he just leaned in and bit down just above Louis's right nipple, hard, and then started to suck. Louis moaned, not caring if their hotel neighbours could hear them as he arched into the pain, his hands getting into Liam's hair and tugging as Liam marked him. He shouted when Liam reached up and twisted his left nipple, the combination more than he could keep quiet through. 

Liam moved back from his chest, and Louis could see the purple-red mark he'd left on his right pec. It was puffy and looked like it would hurt if he pushed his thumb into the middle of it. So he tried it, gasping at the sensation. 

Liam was watching him avidly. "That much, yeah?" he asked, and somehow Louis knew exactly what he was really asking. 

"More," Louis answered honestly, feeling a bit floaty already. Liam sucked in a breath. 

"Here, let's get you on the bed, then," Liam said, and when Louis began to walk with him he distantly thought that yes, this was a good idea, because moving his legs seemed like such a bother, really. He said as much to Liam when they'd both made it on to the bed, and Liam laughed, for some reason. 

"Lazy," Liam called him, but he sounded so fond, so Louis didn't mind it. 

"Yes," he agreed. 

"Can I try something?" Liam asked, which seemed like a bit of a silly question.

"Of course," Louis answered, spreading his legs when Liam started to get his joggers and pants down. 

"Okay," Liam said, looking down at him. "Just. Tell me if it's too much, okay?" 

Louis nodded, sure that it wouldn't be, whatever it was that Liam had planned. And then Liam pinched his inner thigh, hard, while he sucked down Louis's cock. 

Louis arched his back and let out a strangled cry, the dual sensations making him shake. He could hear himself gasp but it was like it was coming from someone else's mouth, like he had no control over his reactions to any of what Liam was doing to him. He got a moment's respite when Liam stopped pinching him for a second, but Liam just changed his attack, digging his fingers into the thin, delicate skin covering his hipbones, and he moaned again, completely overwhelmed. 

Just when he thought he'd got a handle on that pain, Liam reached up and scratched down Louis's belly with his fingernails, digging in hard and taking Louis deeper into his mouth. All at once Louis broke apart, his entire body trembling as he came into Liam's mouth, his hands clutching in Liam's hair like it was the only thing holding him steady. He kept shuddering even after he'd come, after Liam had moved up the bed and was lying next to him, one hand sweeping over his chest and belly while he kissed Louis's shoulder. After a minute or five or maybe ten, Louis finally reached out and grabbed Liam's hand, squeezing it hard. 

"Missed you too," Louis finally said, and Liam laughed against his shoulder. 

 

_Liam_

It felt right, being back on stage with the boys and being back in America. The holiday with his family had been nice, but he'd been ready to come back, and to see everyone again, in general. 

He had also been ready to come back for one specific reason. He let his fingers drift over Louis's chest before pressing in hard on the bruise above his nipple, which had just started to fade. 

"Alright, alright," Louis said, batting his hand away, but Liam could see his dick jump in his briefs, so he didn't think he minded too much. 

That was what everything felt like between them, like a secret language that only they could follow, and it was only when he tried to figure it out alone in his brain after the fact that it seemed at all confusing. Whenever they were together like this, in bed or hanging out and playing FIFA or just shooting the shit backstage, it all made perfect sense. And everything that happened when they were actually having sex was as instinctive as writing together, like they were part of one team, handing melody and rhythm and lyrics back and forth with no hesitation at all. 

The only real difference was that there was no one else who got to see any of this, or who could add their two cents to the process or anything like that. Which made Liam happy, to tell the truth; it was nice to have one bit of Louis that was just his, given how much of him he shared all the time. 

He sneaked his fingers back over to the bruise and pressed in again. "You're not fooling anyone, you know," Louis said, not even looking at him this time, just arching up into the touch. 

"You want me to stop?" Liam asked. They were having a lazy morning after a show, nothing on the schedule until 3 p.m. or so, but maybe Louis wasn't interested in this again right now. 

Louis huffed at him. "I don't need you to stop," he said a bit grumpily. 

"It would be okay if you did," Liam said. 

"I know that," Louis said. 

"Well, I was just saying."

Louis turned to him suddenly. "Do you want me to make you stop?" Louis asked quietly, his voice sounding low and a bit commanding, and Liam hadn't actually been thinking that he wanted that, but now that it might be on offer he thought he could do with it. 

So he said, "Yeah, maybe I do," while reaching back over and pressing in hard with his nail, his eyes on Louis's the entire time. And he knew it was coming even while he did it, because that's why he was doing it in the first place, but it still took him by surprise when Louis suddenly sprang into action and pulled Liam's hands away, his lazy morning posturing transforming in an instant. 

"Alright, in that case, I think you're going to suck me now," Louis said with certainty. Liam swallowed hard and nodded. "I didn't ask you, I was telling you," Louis sharply corrected him, and Liam closed his eyes and bit down hard on the moan that wanted to escape. "Now get on your knees next to the bed."

Liam did what he was told, sliding off the edge of the bed and curling up between Louis's legs dangling over the side of the bed, which was so high Louis's feet couldn't touch the ground. Liam had to kneel up to be at the right height for Louis, and Louis's legs curled around his body, his heels knocking into Liam's back and trapping him against the bed. 

Louis had got his pants off, so Liam was faced directly with his dick, a sight he wasn't at all used to from this vantage point yet. He wanted to be, though, wanted this to be another one of his best skills, and he was ready to put in the work for it. But for now he just waited for Louis's next words. 

"What a good boy," Louis said above him, the first time he'd said those words to him since they'd started the U.S. leg, and Liam's entire body went warm from it. He wanted it to be true, needed it to be true, even when he was poking at Louis's bruise, the bruise that Liam had given him because Louis had wanted it. He was determined to deserve those words, to earn them in whatever way Louis wanted him to. 

"Now, I know what a good cocksucker you are," Louis continued, somehow making that word into a caress, like he was saying what a good performer or songwriter or friend Liam was, instead of something that he did on his knees, "but this might be a bit too much for you. No, don't," he added sharply when Liam started to protest. "You'll get your chance. I want to fuck your face, sweetheart. So let's see how you do just deepthroating, first, and then we'll see." 

Liam had no idea how Louis could say such things and make him feel overwhelmed and desperately, urgently aroused, but then Louis had that effect on him in every area of their lives, and had since the beginning. But he put all of that aside and just focused on the task at hand, which started with getting all of Louis's cock down his throat. 

Louis wasn't huge by any stretch, but he seemed plenty big enough from this angle, and Liam had a sudden, mortifying moment of certainty of knowing he wouldn't be able to do it, that he'd fail Louis and not deserve any of it. But then Louis's hand stroked down his cheek, the touch soft and reassuring. 

"It's alright, I'll help you," Louis said, and he did, angling and then feeding Liam his cock while he held Liam's head at the right angle, giving Liam plenty of time to get his dick nice and wet before pushing in further. Just when Liam began to think that it was too much, that he had gone too far and he needed to pull back, Louis tugged him off first, giving him a moment to breathe before gently but steadily pulling him back down again. 

It went on like that for ages, it seemed like, each time Liam taking in just a bit more, the rhythm and quiet reassurances from Louis above him lulling him into a daze. He relaxed into it, falling into a trance, and by the time he was taking Louis all the way in, his lips pressed up against Louis's pubes while he swallowed around the thick length of him in his throat, Liam wasn't thinking about anything at all, just moving with Louis's hands. 

It took a bit of urging on Louis's part to get him to back up far enough for Louis to stand up; he didn't understand what was happening until Louis put both of Liam's hands on Louis's legs. "Just if you need to push me back," he said, and Liam nodded, not at all sure why he would ever want to push Louis away, but then Louis said, "Now open up," and now Liam knew what to focus on again. Because this was everything, Louis's hands on his head holding him steady while Louis fucked into his mouth, used Liam like the good boy he was, and he could barely do anything but hold onto Louis's legs and take it. But Louis didn't tell him he needed to do anything else, just said over and over again what a good boy he was, no matter that there was spit dripping down his chin and he couldn't even properly suck Louis's dick because he was thrusting into him so fast.

He must have been doing something right though, because Louis suddenly held his face still and moaned loudly while his dick was all the way down Liam's throat, and he could feel him coming, could feel the pulses of it and the shaking of Louis's legs, and he'd never felt more like the good boy Louis deserved. 

 

_Louis_

Louis knew that the shows were getting better and better for lots of reasons, but one of the biggest tells was that Liam had started showing off. 

To be fair, he was always a bit of a showoff vocally, and that had only increased after Zayn had left. Whether Liam did it out of a desire to prove that Zayn wasn't the only one in the band with that kind of range or to attempt to satisfy the crowd, Louis couldn't say. But it wasn't just that anymore; he was putting himself on display in every kind of way, to the point where they were all having to engage with it in one way or another. And Louis, well. Louis didn't like to let an opportunity pass him by. 

He'd told Liam after the fact that he'd thought the shirt had poppers, and it wasn't entirely a lie - he knew that some of Liam's shirts did, and so it had been perfectly plausible that this shirt might have been one of them. But either way he wasn't bothered about it; if Liam was going to show himself off with his voice and his perfect fucking face and his chest hair sticking out the top of his shirt, Louis couldn't be blamed for taking it one step further. It was obviously exactly what Liam had wanted anyway, if his late night bedtime selfies were any indication. 

Louis hadn't quite considered how he'd feel hearing the crowd respond to Liam's half-nakedness when it turned out that the shirt was made with plain old buttons and not poppers at all. The screams took on a new hysterical tone, the pitch even higher than normal, and the fact that he could see the flush straight down Liam's chest only meant that everyone else could see it too. But he was the only one who had caused it. 

"I can't believe you did that!" Liam whisper-screamed into his ear, and Louis could hardly believe it either, couldn't quite believe that he had an open field of attack on Liam's nipples now in front of everyone, couldn't believe the strange combination of pride and pleasure and embarrassment that was rippling across Liam's face. That was for him, he thought when he grinned out at their crowd. You think it's for you. But it's for me. 

It was for him later that night, too, when they'd got back to the hotel, Liam still grumbling about his ruined shirt even though he'd swapped it out for his usual post-show t-shirt anyway. But it didn't matter, because Louis had proven to himself and to anyone else who was paying attention what he'd already known in his heart for ages, and he wasn't going to let the occasion pass by without properly marking it. 

So they'd only been in their hotel room for a minute or so before he turned to Liam and crossed his arms. Liam either didn't notice or was pretending he didn't, because he immediately started talking again. "I mean, pantsing Harry onstage is one thing, Louis, but ripping my shirt off is quite another!"

"Well, we're alone now, so strip," Louis said. He felt a bit disgruntled when Liam just stared at him. 

"Just getting right down to it tonight, are we?" Liam asked, his voice not quite able to mask his confusion. 

Louis shook his head. "I didn't say we'd both be naked. Now strip," he said again, hoping he wouldn't have to try it a third time. For a moment, Liam still didn't move, and Louis thought he'd have to. But then Liam slowly nodded, and tugged his shirt off over his head. 

"That's a start," Louis said. "Although thousands of people have already seen that tonight, you know?" From the way Liam immediately flushed red, Louis could see that he did know. "But that's nothing compared to how many people have seen the videos by now," Louis went on. "How many gifs do you think there are on twitter at this point? Wonder if it's trending."

Louis could see Liam's hand trembling slightly. "Do you want me to check?" Liam asked, his voice nice and steady. 

_Oh, good boy,_ Louis thought. He shook his head. "Maybe later. Right now I'd like you to show me something that hasn't already been seen by all of our fans." He watched as Liam slowly undid his jeans, opening up his flies and then pausing to look up at Louis. And even though Louis had seen Liam naked a countless number of times, right now he felt like he was on the edge of his seat, waiting with baited breath to see what Liam would show him. 

Liam kept looking at him as he slowly pushed down his pants and jeans, revealing his dick already half hard. He stepped out of them and then held his arms open, as if for approval. 

Louis could give him that; he deserved it, after all. "Very nice," he said, walking closer to Liam. "No wonder you're so proud of it." A small sound escaped Liam before he could tamp it down. "Isn't that why you like to show it off?" Louis asked innocently. 

He waited long enough for Liam to realise that he wanted an answer. "I like it when people look at me. Or want to look at me," Liam amended. 

"Of course you do," Louis said, circling around Liam, watching as he grew harder just from being on display for him. "But do you want to show everyone this? Or do you think about that," Louis added, when Liam started to look a bit panicked. "Do you think about what it would feel like if everyone got to see you like this?"

Now Liam just nodded, closing his eyes. Louis shook his head; that wouldn't do. "Liam, eyes on me," he said, pleased when Liam immediately opened them and met his eyes. "Good boy," he praised, wrapping his hand around Liam's dick as a reward. He watched as Liam's eyes threatened to drift closed again, but he got them back open again after only a second's flutter, which was really quite good, so Louis didn't comment on it. "Now get on your knees in front of the mirror," he said, letting go of Liam's dick and pointing to the floor length mirror next to the bathroom door. He watched as Liam did as he asked, getting smoothly to his knees even while hard. "Spread your legs wider," he added as he walked over to him. 

Liam looked open and exposed now, his balls hanging heavy between his legs, dick sticking straight ahead, his face and chest both a bit splotchy with colour. He looked absolutely beautiful, and Louis was determined to make sure that he knew that without any possible doubt. "Good boy," he said again, kneeling behind Liam and getting both hands on Liam's chest before he could react to the words. "Oh, just look at you."

"Louis," Liam gasped, his chest already heaving, and Louis responded by pinching one nipple hard, watching in the mirror as Liam moved into the touch, his dick bobbing and leaking. 

"So fucking gorgeous, and you want everyone to see it," Louis continued. He swept one hand down Liam's belly, bypassing his dick to cradle his balls, full and heavy. He squeezed, first gently and then a little harder, feeling Liam's gasps and sharp inhalations against his chest. After another moment he let go, and Liam curled over a bit. "No, no, lean back against me." 

Liam did, being so good for him, and Louis brushed his hands down Liam's sides in approval, his touch gentle and soothing. 

"Do you like it when I look at you?" Louis asked, biting down on Liam's earlobe. 

"Yes," Liam rasped out, and Louis nodded and reached down to wrap his hand around Liam's cock, his other hand getting hold of Liam's balls. 

"I'd like to look at you come soon," Louis said, voice calm and steady. "But not until I've seen my fill."

"Louis," Liam gasped, his body trembling while Louis wanked him off, his eyes hot and desperate in the mirror, and suddenly that was enough. 

"Come for me, now, darling, come on," Louis urged, and he'd barely said the words before Liam was curling over and coming, his entire body shaking between Louis's arms. He didn't need to watch it happen; feeling it was even better. 

 

_Liam_

Liam just knew that Drag Me Down would be a success. Their fanbase had always been absolutely incredible for them, and he thought it was one of their best songs in ages. Plus there was something so fucking ninja about them dropping it in the middle of the night with no warning and adding it to the setlist immediately. He knew they weren't exactly Beyonce, but it was still pretty awesome to do something close to her level. Assuming, of course, that they could pull it off. 

It turned out Julian had been right about this, like so many other songs. Liam spent as much of the day on twitter as he could, tracking the various hashtags and reading his at-replies and even his DMs, just wanting to soak up as much of the response as he could. And it wasn't just their fans, although those were the reactions he cared about most. But everyone seemed to like it, and wanted to talk about it, and after a year when it seemed like ninety percent of the shit written about them didn't have anything at all to do with their actual job, it was a refreshing change. 

All of that was nothing compared to what it was like to perform it for the first time that night, though. It had been out for less than twenty-four hours, and here was a full stadium singing the whole song back at them, like they'd known all of those lyrics their entire lives. He had never stopped being astonished at just how good their fans were to them, and he didn't think he'd ever truly get used it. He hoped he didn't, at least. 

The entire show was absolutely electric, the band and the crowd sharing the joy of having just experienced something brand new for the first time, something that could never be repeated exactly like that ever again. It was what made performing worth it, was what made the three hundredth performance still feel as amazing as the first, and he never, ever wanted to stop. 

He was still buzzing with that energy once they were offstage, and in the car back to the hotel, and on the lift up to their floor. By the time he'd made it back to his room with Louis, he was certain there was only one way to finish this night. 

Luckily Louis was right there with him, as always, pulling him in for a tight hug and then kissing him hard as soon as the door was shut behind them. 

They found their way to the bed together, both of them needing the same thing, connection and release after a day like this. Because of course it was incredible that it had worked and that their first single as a foursome had landed exactly the way their team had wanted it to, but underneath that was the sense of relief, too, that they hadn't miscalculated, that they hadn't fucked it all up and started the album promo at a disadvantage. They'd all poured so much of themselves into the album that Liam couldn't bear the thought of it being hamstrung like that. 

So he poured his relief and his pride and his almost spiteful sense of triumph into Louis now, and he got it back just as strongly from him. But as much as Liam knew that Louis was on the same page with him, there were still some things they needed to talk about. 

"Louis," he said finally, before chickening out and kissing Louis once more, getting lost in the kiss as they thrust against each other, their legs tangled up and intertwined. "No, Louis, I need to ask you something." 

"Alright, then ask it," Louis said, not giving him much opportunity by getting his mouth on Liam's neck, which was incredibly distracting when Liam was already half out of his mind from want. 

Clearly if he kept trying to ask it nicely, or find some way to be smooth about it, it would never happen, so he might as well be blunt. "I want to fuck you," Liam said, almost hiding his face against Louis's neck. "Like, now." 

Louis huffed out a laugh. "I didn't think you meant next Tuesday," he said dryly, and Liam had to laugh. 

"Well, probably I'll want to fuck you again by then," Liam said, feeling a bit cheeky. Louis must have felt he was being a bit cheeky too, since he earned a sharp pinch for that comment. "But yeah. I don't know if that's something--"

"Yes, Liam, you can fuck me," Louis interrupted him, and suddenly Liam had a whole speech he'd been planning that had no use. 

"Really?" he asked, just to double check. 

"Let me rephrase that," Louis said. "I want you to fuck me. I've wanted you to fuck me for absolute ages." 

"Two months, you mean," Liam clarified.

"I mean, sure, but doesn't that feel like ages to you, Liam? Doesn't it feel like it's been fucking forever since we started this?" Louis was moving against him now, his hands on Liam's arse pulling him closer on every thrust, and now that Louis had actually said it out loud, Liam could admit that yes, he had wanted this since forever and a day ago. 

So he did the only thing he could do, which was kiss Louis again, kiss him with all his intent shining through it, because if this was on offer now he was going to take it, and there was nothing that could stop them. Except for possibly one thing. "I've never done this before, so, you know, I might be rubbish at it."

Louis kissed him again. "Somehow I think we'll figure it out. Come on." 

As was the case all too often, Louis was right about that. It was awkward and all a bit weird at first, to be sure, and Liam erred on the side of too much lube rather than too little, which meant that the sheets were an absolute disaster, and the first slow press inside was just about the most nerve-wracking thing Liam had ever done, the combined terror of possibly hurting Louis or blowing his load before they'd got very far making the entire experience less than pleasant. 

But they got through all that together, and he was finally inside of Louis, _with_ him in a way they'd never been before, and when Liam started to move, to actually fuck him, all at once it reignited everything they'd felt together during the show. And then Liam had the bright idea of getting Louis's arms up above his head, wrists pinned down to the bed while he fucked him hard, and Louis almost sobbed from it, his dick hard and leaking as Liam pounded into him, and all of a sudden they were off. It was like everything else, completely overwhelming and everything Liam could have asked for, and he dug his fingers into Louis's wrists, half-hoping he was leaving bruises, and he fucked into him hard over and over again until he was coming, crying out Louis's name. 

He bit down hard on Louis's chest while he stroked him off after he'd pulled out, Louis's hands tight in his hair now and tugging, the pull of it sharp and painful and the perfect counterpoint to the aftershocks still rocking through Liam's body. He kept sucking hard even while Louis came and shook apart under him, wanting to mark this day for so many reasons, wanting to be able to see and feel it on Louis's body for weeks to come.

**_August_ **

_Louis_

Things changed after Drag Me Down came out. It was like everyone could finally breathe easily again, now that they knew for sure that the fans would still support them the way they always had. The response from the press was pretty gratifying as well, even if Louis knew that they could be praised in one moment and slighted in the next. 

More than all of that was the relief of finally doing something concrete after weeks and months of talking and planning and negotiating. They were on tour, of course, but that felt like a well-oiled machine at this point. Dropping a single out of nowhere to introduce their new sound as a band was something else completely, and Louis'd felt like he'd been waiting for ages for that moment. 

He felt a bit like that with his thing with Liam, too, like they'd been unknowingly talking around things for years and were finally getting down to it. There wasn't much to discuss anymore, Louis was pretty sure: he wasn't much bothered about labels, since the only people who knew about them were the band and their families, and besides which, he'd always loved Liam. The way he expressed that had changed, but not the feeling itself, really. 

At least that had been what he had thought until he and Liam were in their hotel room together in New York, spending a couple of free hours snogging on the sofa rather than dealing with the crowds, and Liam suddenly pushed him away and said, "Wait, I think we should talk about this."

Louis groaned and shook his head. "What's there to talk about?" He leaned in for another kiss, getting his hand up under Liam's t-shirt and going for his nipple. 

Liam gasped into his mouth. "Louis," he chided, but he kissed Louis harder in response. 

_Talking,_ thought Louis derisively, but then Liam pushed him back again and actually moved back on the sofa until they weren't touching anymore, looking determined.

"So I googled some stuff." Liam kept looking at Louis and then looking away, a faint blush spread across his cheeks. 

"What stuff?" Louis shifted a bit closer to him on the sofa, trying to stage his next attack. 

Liam got a bit pinker. "Well, I just. I don't know if you want to keep doing the other stuff, now that we're, you know." He broke off, looking at his hands. 

"What, fucking?" Louis asked, a bit incredulously. For someone who claimed to want to talk, Liam sure was having difficulty actually saying things like nouns. He inched closer to Liam, getting his hand back on Liam's thigh.

"Yeah." Liam looked up at him suddenly, like he was daring himself to make eye contact. He let out a sharp exhale. "I think we need a safeword."

That wasn't where Louis had thought this conversation was going at all. He took his hand off Liam's thigh. "You do?" 

Liam nodded. "Yeah, it's like, it's a word that either of us can use if what we're doing is going too far--"

"I know what a safeword is, Liam," Louis interrupted, but Liam wasn't done yet.

"--and I think that we should use one. Or hopefully not use one, but have one just in case. I've never had one before, but I've never really done this before, and well," Liam trailed off. "The internet was very clear that we should have one."

Louis took a moment to thank everyone and everything than Liam hadn't gone to twitter to learn about this particular topic. "Alright, well--"

"But obviously this is only if you want to keep doing that stuff," Liam kept going. "Like I said, I haven't needed one before, so if you don't think we need one, that's fine--ow!" Liam glared and rubbed at the nipple Louis had just viciously twisted. "That bloody hurt!"

"Do you need a safeword for that?" Louis asked. 

"No, but you might need a spanking," Liam shot back, and Louis's entire body went hot. 

He swallowed hard. "Like you could," he said, trying and failing to sound unaffected. 

Disappointingly, rather than showing Louis exactly how he could give him a spanking, Liam nodded. "And this is why we need a safeword."

"Fine," Louis said, because he knew when Liam had made up his mind about something. 

"Because I want to spank you, but I don't want to hurt you," Liam continued, looking determined. 

"I already said fine, alright." Louis let out a breath. "Probably you've got safewords picked out for us and everything already, right?"

Liam looked startled. "Actually, I thought I might have to do some more convincing, so I hadn't got that far." He was peering at Louis like this wasn't quite what he'd expected, which Louis felt was a bit insulting. 

"Listen, just because I don't want to talk about it doesn't mean I don't know why we should have a safeword," Louis said, leaning back against the sofa and crossing his arms.

"Okay," Liam said softly. 

"I don't want to hurt you, either." Louis rolled his eyes when Liam cupped his pec and looked sceptical. "Alright, I don't want to hurt you in a way you really don't like. Or, I mean." Fuck, they really were talking about everything now, so might as well. "When we did that thing after I ripped your shirt."

"I loved that," Liam said, sounding a bit defensive.

Louis uncrossed his arm and put his hand on Liam's shoulder, thumb rubbing over his t-shirt. "I know, love, but you might not've. And I'll probably do something in the future you won't love, for whatever reason, and that's alright, too."

Liam was staring at him. "Lou, I know, that's why I wanted to talk."

"Well, it's not just for me," Louis said, still feeling unaccountably grumpy. "You're not special, Liam."

Liam's expression changed. "Are you...are you trying to make me annoyed with you?" he asked slowly. 

"Shut up," Louis snapped, but Liam looked like a dog who'd just realised where the ball had been thrown. 

"You are!" Liam sounded far too delighted by it. "Louis, as soon as we figure out what our safeword is, I promise I'll spank you."

"Oh my god." Louis didn't know how Liam had gone from being so bashful about bringing up the topic of safewords to wanting to talk about it in detail, but it was all a bit much, really. All Louis really knew at this point was that he had to wrap this up quick if he wanted to get spanked any time soon. "Why don't we just go with something like traffic lights? You know, green for go, yellow for slow down, and--"

"Red for stop," Liam finished for him. "One of the sites I read mentioned that, how did you hear about it?"

"You're not the only one who's ever done a google search, Liam," Louis said severely, but Liam just beamed at him. "Are we good now?"

He waited while Liam thought about it. "I think that's the most important thing, for now," Liam said finally. 

"Good," Louis said, and he tapped Liam's dick firmly. 

"Ow!" Liam grabbed his crotch and hunched over on the sofa, glaring at Louis. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Just felt like it," Louis said as evenly as he could. His heart was pounding, but he kept eye contact with Liam as he dug his fingers hard into Liam's side. 

"Christ!" Liam yelped. He grabbed onto Louis's wrist with one hand, still protecting his crotch with the other. "Louis, I'm warning you..." 

Louis's mouth was dry. He reached out with his free hand and pinched the same nipple he had attacked before. 

"Right, that's it." Liam moved suddenly, somehow getting Louis flipped over Liam's lap. Louis's dick was trapped against Liam's thigh, and he shifted against it. "Stop that," Liam ordered, and the next moment his palm made contact with Louis's arse. 

Louis gasped but kept wriggling, one arm still free. "Make me." 

Liam managed to catch Louis's free arm by the wrist and pressed it and Louis's other arm tight against Louis's lower back. He was pinned, his feet resting on the arm of the sofa and his face against a cushion. He struggled a bit to see what would happen. 

"None of that," Liam commanded. "Or I'll punish you in a way you won't like at all." 

The idea seemed impossible, that there was anything Liam could do that Louis would genuinely not like. Except stop all of this entirely, he supposed, and just the possibility of that was enough to make him stop moving. 

"That's right," Liam said. His free hand was rubbing over Louis's arse through his trackies, right over where he had smacked Louis. "Now, before we get started, what colour are you?"

"Green green green," Louis chanted.

"And why are you getting a spanking?" 

Louis said the first thing that came to his mind. "Because I deserve it."

"Because you need to be punished," Liam corrected him. Louis felt the words low in his belly. "Because you were being a brat, on purpose, and brats need to be taught a lesson." Liam was tugging Louis's trackies down over his arse. His hand was stroking over his bared skin, one finger occasionally stroking down the cleft. Louis bit his lip against the desire to push up into the touch. "You're going to count the number of lessons you need."

"How many?" Louis asked, not sure how many he was hoping for. 

"That depends on how quickly you learn. Now count." Before Louis could brace himself, he felt the sharp impact of Liam's hand on his bum.

"Ah!" Louis cried out, startled. 

"What number was that?" 

"One," Louis said, pulling against Liam's grip on his wrists. 

"Good," Liam said, and a second later his hand made contact on Louis's other arse cheek. 

"Two," Louis panted. 

The next six followed in steady succession, Liam's rhythm as even as ever. After Louis gasped out, "Eight," his skin feeling hot and a bit tight, Liam dragged his fingernails across Louis's arse, the sting and ache of it inflaming his skin. "Fuck!"

"What colour are you?" Liam asked, barely waiting for Louis to say, "Green," before smacking him again.

The pain swelled and then bloomed across his skin over and over, the pace just slow enough for the full impact of each strike to be felt before the next one landed. Louis had never felt such steady and unyielding pain before, even as his dick grew harder in his pants, still trapped in his trackies. Between each number, Louis was reduced to whining, a helpless, involuntary noise slipping out of his mouth that did nothing to lessen the pain. 

After twenty-five strokes Liam stopped again, this time just brushing his fingers against Louis's skin instead of scratching, but that light touch was almost unbearable now. "Colour?"

"Green," Louis managed, his throat thick with something. He didn't think Liam would spank him until he had to say yellow, or even red, but he didn't know for sure. All he knew was that he hadn't been good enough yet, hadn't learned his lesson, and he knew he needed to. 

"Five more, I think," Liam said, and Louis almost sobbed in relief, so grateful that Liam knew what he needed. "Count down for me."

"Yes." Louis tried to brace himself for it, but he still moaned at the impact. "Five," he shouted, his hands twisted pointlessly in Liam's grip. He counted the final four strokes down, not sure whether to move into or away from each spank, just trying desperately to take them because he had earned this. At one he let himself collapse across Liam's legs, no longer tensing his muscles in an effort to brace himself for withstanding the pain. He felt shaky and like he could hardly move, and nothing mattered besides the heat in his arse and the white noise in his brain. 

"Come on," he heard Liam murmur, and a second later his wrists were released and Liam's hands were turning him. Louis gasped when his bum made contact with anything, even the lightest touch feeling like fire across his skin, but somehow Liam got him arranged so that his legs were over the arm of the sofa and his back was flat on Liam's lap, with a pillow under his head, and his bum wasn't pressed against anything. "You took it so well, sweetheart," Liam said, and he tugged down the front of Louis's trackies until his dick sprang free. 

Louis thrust forward when Liam got his hand around Louis's dick and began to stroke. He regretted it immediately, just that bit of motion making the pain in his arse swell once more, and he gasped and tried to stay still while Liam wanked him off. He cried out while Liam shushed him gently, one hand stroking over his belly. It wasn't until he shook apart and came that he actually started to cry, his hips pushing up into Liam's touch, the hot pain making the release even more overwhelming. 

He felt Liam's hand wiping away his tears and then cupping his cheek. Louis turned and pressed a kiss against Liam's wrist and whispered, "Green green green." 

 

_Liam_

So many things were thrown onstage for them during concerts that it would be impossible to keep everything, even if they wanted to. But Liam managed to hold onto the coconut bra after the New York show.

He hadn't been planning on bringing this up quite yet, except that Louis had put the coconut bra on him and then stared at Liam, like there weren't tens of thousands of fans screaming for them. Liam had to do this now before he lost his nerve completely. So he brought it back with them, shoved down into the bottom of his satchel, and then he waited for Louis to settle on the bed in his hotel room with a beer, an old Will Ferrell movie on the telly. 

"I kept the coconut bra," Liam announced, stood next to the bed with his hands clasped in front of him. 

Louis raised his eyebrows. "Did you? That'll be good for a fancy dress party. Or maybe even Halloween, like." 

He was giving Liam an out without even realising it, but Liam refused to take it, forcing himself to go on. What was the point of having a safeword or any of that if he couldn't share this? "I thought it might go with a pair of knickers I've got."

Slowly, like he was trying not to spook Liam, Louis picked up the remote and turned the TV off before sliding across the bed until he was sitting across from Liam, his legs dangling over the side. "An old pair of Sophia's?"

Liam blushed and shook his head. Somehow that would be less embarrassing, or at least less intentional, than the truth. "No, I bought them. For me," he clarified after a moment. "Ordered them online ages ago."

"Do they fit you?" Louis was staring up at him, his head cocked to one side, 

"Dunno, I've never tried them on," Liam confessed. For some reason that made him feel even more awkward, that he didn't even have the courage to wear the pair of knickers he had bought for himself. 

"Well then, better fetch them so we can see if they're the right size," Louis said immediately, looking expectant. 

Just like that, Louis had taken control, had somehow given Liam permission to do the thing he'd been wanting to do for months now. Because it was one thing to joke about wearing ladies' underwear, or to laugh about Ruth and Nicola dressing him up in a skirt and high heels and makeup when he was little. It was entirely another thing to be getting hard just from thinking about putting on a pair of knickers. 

None of that seemed to matter to Louis, though, who was looking at Liam and waiting, his beer held loosely in his hand. Somehow Liam knew that he could still stop this if he wanted to, could lie and say he'd left them at home or that he'd made it up or anything, and Louis would let it go, even without Liam saying the word _red._ But Liam had brought up the knickers for a reason. "They're just in my bag."

"Get 'em out, then," Louis said, and took a swig of his beer. Liam went over to his suitcase and opened it up, unzipping the pocket he kept them tucked away in. They were purple and made of a silky sheer fabric he didn't know the name of, with lace borders along the legs and waist, and a seam up the back. He was suddenly aware of just how little they would conceal. 

He brought them over to show Louis, who took them when Liam handed them over. “I think they’ll fit,” Liam said. He got his jeans undone before he chickened out, almost getting his feet caught when he toed his shoes off and stamped out of his jeans and pants. His t-shirt was next, and finally his socks, and then he was stood naked in front of Louis, half hard just from the idea of putting the knickers on. 

“They’re nice,” Louis said finally, his attention still on the knickers, the fabric sliding through his fingers. He looked up at Liam, his eyes bright. “Think they’ll look nicer on you, though.”

Liam felt his face colour, the urge to cover his dick with his hand suddenly overwhelming. He made himself put his hand out for the knickers instead, not looking at Louis as he got them properly orientated. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into them, sliding them up over his legs, until they finally pulled tight across his hips. 

They were boy shorts, which had never seemed like a less accurate name than it did right now. Liam felt nothing like a boy in them. The front of them could barely contain all of him, his dick tucked to the side so that it lay flat against his left hip, growing harder by the second. His balls were a bit squashed by the seam that ran from the crotch back up his arse crack, but the leg holes of the knickers were loose. He knew it must look ridiculous, and yet he was unbearably turned on already. 

“How do they make you feel?” Louis asked, his voice so neutral Liam couldn’t tell what he thought of any of this. 

Looking at Louis felt too scary, so he stared at his hands clasped at his waist, just blocking his view of the knickers, and told the truth. “I feel pretty.”

Liam startled when he felt Louis's fingers slid up the side of his leg, running under the edge of the knickers on his hip. "You should do, 'cause you look very pretty." Liam moaned, pulling his hands away from his waist and putting them behind his back so that Louis could see him better. "That's right, love, don't want to hide how pretty you look. Such a pretty girl," Louis continued, eyes flicking up to catch Liam's glance. Liam couldn't stop the whine that escaped his mouth, and Louis smiled then, twisting his hand until his fingers were tugging at the fabric of the knickers. 

"Louis," Liam gasped, pushing his hips forward. His dick was straining against the front of the knickers now, the tip leaking so much he was sure he was making a mess of everything. Somehow that just made him harder. 

"Should have gotten the matching bra," Louis said, pulling Liam closer until he was stood between Louis's legs. Louis's hand ghosted up over Liam's dick, and Liam bit his lip hard. "Would you like that, love?" Liam nodded, expecting the fingers that reached up and pinched his nipple in response. He drew in a ragged breath, his face going hot when Louis's hand cupped his pec, like he had something to actually fill out a bra with. 

"I didn't have the nerve," Liam confessed. He hadn't had any idea of what size he should get anyway, all the numbers and letters a baffling language he didn't have the foggiest clue how to read. And buying multiples and trying them on felt like too much to handle. 

"Maybe I should get you a skirt for your birthday," Louis said, hand running down Liam's stomach. "Or a nice pair of heels, to show off your legs." He reached around with both hands and dragged his fingers up the back of Liam's thighs until he reached his arse. Then he pulled the knickers up, the seam tugging up against Liam's balls and into his arsecrack, and Liam nearly choked. "Maybe with a thong. Some thigh-highs, too."

The idea of it was too much for Liam, his dick straining and actually jumping in his knickers as he pushed his hips forward, desperate for any kind of friction. When Louis cupped his dick he moaned loudly, knees going weak as he came from the lightest touch, just the thought of wearing thigh-highs and heels enough to get him most of the way there. He unclasped his hands and braced himself on Louis's shoulders while he shuddered through it, come soaking through his knickers and ruining them. 

"Oh, love," he heard Louis say, and Liam opened his eyes to see what Louis thought of all of this. He obviously didn't mind talking Liam through it, but there was a difference between humouring Liam because he wanted to wear girls' underwear and actually liking it himself. He was staring up at Liam with bright eyes, mouth dropped open a bit, which was encouraging, at least. But that wasn't all Liam was hoping for, so after he'd caught his breath and felt like his legs weren't about to collapse out from under him Liam reached down to feel Louis up. 

He was hard, which surprised Liam, in truth, but now that he'd got his answer he wanted to do something about it. He dropped to his knees and started to tug Louis's trackies down. 

"Yeah, alright," Louis said, sounding a bit startled. That changed to a moan when Liam finally got his mouth on his dick, wanting desperately to feel like Louis had enjoyed all of that too, that it hadn't just been for Liam and his weird thing for knickers. But Louis was already so hard that all of Liam's insecurities disappeared, his worry floating away as he focused on sucking Louis's brains out instead. He felt Louis's hand run through his hair and then down his back, his fingers digging into his shoulder. Liam imagined being in a bra and blowing him like this, Louis snapping the band or tweaking his nipple through the fabric, and he moaned and took Louis further down. 

"Fuck," Louis gasped, and Liam redoubled his efforts, tears springing to the corners of his eyes as he forced his throat to relax just a bit more. Louis's hand went tight in his hair and a second later he started to come, his hips jerking up as he filled Liam's mouth. Liam sucked him through it, swallowing and then taking him down again, feeling Louis's thighs twitch with aftershocks. He didn't want to stop. 

"Alright, I'll buy you some more knickers, then," Louis said finally, and that made Liam pull off. 

"Don't forget the matching bras," Liam said, his voice raspy. 

Louis wiped away the tears from Liam's face. "I would never." 

 

_Louis_

It took a couple of times before Louis noticed what was happening, but once he caught up, he caught up all the way. 

He and Liam were playing some FIFA on an afternoon off in their hotel suite. Louis had thought Liam was getting better at it, but Louis was beating Liam so comprehensibly it was hardly even fun, really. 

"Come on, Liam," he shouted. "Don't make it so easy for me." 

He was waiting for the push back, for Liam to yell at him and say that he'd show him easy, and then even if Liam didn't manage to win a match it'd still feel like a challenge. But Liam didn't say anything at all, and he stayed silent when Louis scored easily on him again. "Do you even know how the controls work, Payno? Because I'm beginning to think you've never seen a game before," Louis needled, taking his eyes off the screen to look over at Liam. At the rate the match was going, Louis would barely need to actually look at the screen to guarantee a win. 

Liam was hunched over a bit, his head ducked down, and there was a slight flush across his cheeks. Louis was flabbergasted. This required some sussing out. 

He looked back on the game momentarily, pulling off some nifty triangle work and scoring on Liam again. "I might as well be playing against an empty net, you're so bad at this," Louis yelled, turning away from the telly completely and focusing on Liam.

Liam, who blushed even harder and started to squirm a bit, a little smile pulling at his lips. 

Louis hit the pause button. "What colour are you?" he demanded. When Liam didn't answer right away, Louis stood up and took a chance, hoping beyond belief that he wasn't totally off base here. "I asked you what colour you are."

Liam glanced up at him but quickly looked back down, his legs both vibrating. "Green," he said finally, his voice hoarse. 

"That's what I thought," Louis said, and he reached over and grabbed Liam's controller, tossing it aside. "What the hell was that there?"

"I don't know," Liam said evenly. 

"Well I could tell you didn't know, couldn't I, the way you were playing. You think this is some sort of game, Liam?" Louis pushed closer to him, looming so far into his space that Liam had to sit back into the corner of the sofa. It made it impossible for Liam to fully conceal how hard he was in his jeans, the thick line of his dick obvious. Louis reached out and palmed it, squeezing it hard. "Maybe you're too distracted by something else." 

Liam gasped and pushed his hips up into the touch, and Louis pulled his hand away. "I'm not, I'm sorry--" 

"Look at me when you speak, boy," Louis interrupted him. Liam let out a harsh breath but glanced up at Louis, his mouth open. His lips were wet from licking them. "That's what you are, aren't you? My boy." Liam's hand crept closer to his dick. "I asked you a question." 

"Yes," Liam said quietly, like the word was ripped out of him. 

"That's right. Did I say you could touch yourself?" Louis asked a second before Liam's hand cupped his dick. He reached out and pulled Liam's hand away. "I don't think you deserve to do that, after being such rubbish."

"Louis, please," Liam gasped, but he didn't struggle against Louis's grip at all, even though Louis knew full well that Liam could outpower him any day. 

"Please what, boy?" 

Liam flushed even darker red and bit his lower lip hard. Louis waited, not sure if this tack was going to work after all, when Liam finally said, "Please let me touch myself." 

"Do you think you deserve that?" Louis asked, flying by the seat of his pants. 

Liam looked up at him. "I think I could earn it."

"What, do you want to try earning it by beating me at FIFA? Because in that case you'll never get to have a wank again," Louis said. He watched, startled and horribly turned on, when Liam's eyes got a bit dark at that. "That's right, I think you need to try harder to earn back that privilege. Because who are you?"

"I'm your boy," Liam said immediately. 

"That's right," Louis said again. "And that means I get to decide who touches this." He let go of Liam's wrist and lightly stroked Liam's dick with his fingers, the touch soft enough that it would be just a tease through Liam's jeans. "Or if you even get touched at all." 

"Please tell me what I need to do," Liam begged, sounding like Louis could say anything and he'd snap to. 

This was the challenge when Louis was the one in charge; there were so many decisions to be made. If there was a rulebook for what they were doing this afternoon, Louis certainly hadn't read it. But Liam was depending on him, so it was time to make a decision. 

"You think you can wank off better than you played FIFA just now?" Louis asked. "Because I'm not sure I believe you can." 

Liam looked up at him, his eyes wide and desperate. "I can, Louis, I promise." 

"Well, show me how, then," Louis said. He took a step back and crossed his arms, staring down at Liam. "But this better be good." 

Liam wriggled out of his jeans and pants. He had a little breathing room now, Louis not hovering over him quite so close, but as soon as Liam was naked from the waist down Louis took a step forward, boxing him in again. 

"Louis," Liam gasped, ducking his head when Louis leaned closer. 

"Tug up your shirt, it's covering your dick," Louis commanded. "You don't hide under the covers when you wank, do you?"

Liam shook his head and pulled his t-shirt up, exposing his chest. One leg was on the sofa bent at the knee to give him room, and his dick was fully hard, angling toward his belly.

"Alright. Show me what you like, but you're not to come until I say you can, understood?"

Eyes downcast, Liam nodded. 

"Well then, get on with it." Louis watched him, feeling oddly stern and disconnected given that Liam was touching himself right in front of him, his hand wrapping around his dick and starting to stroke fast and hard. "Slow it down a bit, yeah?"

Liam's hand immediately halted, and Louis nodded to himself. This was what he wanted. 

"Remember, you've got to earn this. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and all that," Louis continued. "Lean back against the sofa now." Liam did, his hand still gripping his dick tightly, but he was stroking himself slowly now. "That's better. You need to learn your lesson. Just use the tips of your fingers now, both hands."

Liam took a big gasping breath but he did what he was told, almost massaging the head of his dick, the foreskin slipping forward and then back. 

"You like being told what to do?" Louis barely waited for Liam to nod before adding, "Of course you do, you need my help."

"Please," Liam whispered, his fingers still moving lightly. 

"You think you're ready to come?" Liam's fingers stopped moving, his brow furrowing. "Well, that doesn't matter, does it? It's up to me." Louis watched the tension leave Liam's face. "Only I get to say. Keep going, I didn't tell you to stop." 

"Sorry," Liam said, his fingers working over his dick, messy from the pre-come. 

"Don't let it happen again, boy," Louis said. He had to fight the urge to touch Liam, to stroke his hand through his hair and tell him how well he was doing. 

"I won't, I promise," Liam said, sounding so certain, like he'd do anything to prove he wasn't lying. 

Louis decided to make it harder on him. "Keep going, then, give it a nice stroke," he said. "Fuck your hand now."

"Oh, fuck," Liam gasped, the head of his cock red and leaking more pre-come on every stroke. Liam's hips were moving with it, his entire body focused and tautly held, his brow furrowed like he was trying to remember something. 

"What are you thinking about?" Louis asked.

"What?" Liam managed. 

"Are you trying to distract yourself with multiplication tables or something? If you're that close, let go of your dick."

Liam let out a ragged breath but did as he said. His dick bobbed in the air as Liam clenched his fists together on top of his thighs. 

"Look at me," Louis demanded. Liam looked up at him, his eyes a bit glazed, and Louis could barely keep his hands off him. "How close are you?"

"I can hold off," Liam said immediately. 

"That's not what I asked, now is it?" Louis said, his voice chiding, and Liam flushed and looked down. "No, no, eyes back up here. Now," Louis continued once Liam had made eye contact again, "how close are you?"

Liam swallowed hard. "I'm pretty close. I don't--"

"That's what it looks like from here."

"I don't need to come yet," Liam finished.

"Well, too bad, because you're going to do exactly as I say now, and I expect to see you come from it," Louis said, crossing his arms over his chest again. "Get your hand around your balls and tug on them." Liam did it, his legs spreading a bit wider when he pulled down on his balls. "And now I want to see you squeeze them while wanking."

Liam shook his head even while he got his other hand on his dick. "It's too much, I--"

"It's just the right amount," Louis corrected. "You didn't listen to me during the game but you will now. So keep going, Liam." Liam was moaning loudly now, his entire body twitching, like he didn't know what to do with the warring sensations. "That's right, and now you're going to come for me, aren't you? Come on, let me see it, come all over yourself." 

With a loud, jagged cry, Liam came, his body twisting up as he shook through it, the come flying up onto his belly and chest. Liam's hand was still tight around his balls, holding them so firmly Louis almost began to worry for him, but then he collapsed back on the sofa and let his hands fall, panting like he had just run a marathon. 

"Oh, what a good boy you are," Louis murmured, sitting down next to Liam and pulling him close. Liam went easily, tucking his face next to Louis's neck and grabbing hold of Louis's t-shirt with his hand. Louis didn't even care that he was getting come all over him; he just put his arms around Liam's shoulders and held on, running one hand into Liam's hair. 

"You did exactly as I asked," Louis said, tightening his grip when Liam made a small sound against his neck. "That was everything I wanted." He kept talking to Liam, the tone of his voice as steady as his hands stroking up and down Liam's back, and just waited. 

Finally, Liam stopped shaking and sat up a bit. Louis looked at his face, cupping his cheek, and tried to see if maybe this time he'd gone too far. He hadn't thought so, but traffic lights could only do so much, he thought. "Alright?"

"More than alright," Liam said easily. He sighed and slouched further down on the sofa until his head was on Louis's chest. "That was perfect." 

"Good." Louis held him tight and made himself ask. "What was that, exactly?"

Liam didn't answer right away, the silence stretching out long enough for Louis to start second-guessing himself again, but then he said, "Well, I like being told what to do."

"Got that part."

Liam huffed out a laugh. "But sometimes I like to _need_ to be told what to do. Like, I'm a bit crap at FIFA--"

"You're usually not that crap," Louis said honestly. 

"I know, but it was an off day, and nothing was going to make it better, but I don't know. I liked the attention, I guess. And then there was something I did know how to do, finally, and that was lovely."

"I'd hope you could wank, you're a grown boy," Louis said. Somehow he couldn't stop joking. 

"It was better with you," Liam said, and that was too much for Louis. He scooched down until he was even with Liam and got his hand on his cheek and kissed him, soft and gentle. He was afraid if he tried to open his mouth and speak he'd never be able to say what he felt, so he tried to put it into the kiss, all the trust and wonder and love he felt for Liam, how fucking honoured he was to do this with him. Sometimes words just made everything more complicated. 

Liam seemed to know what he meant, because he kissed Louis back in exactly the same way, and all the reservations and questions Louis had had floated out of his head, until it was like he'd never had them at all. 

 

_Liam_

Being back on tour after a bit of time off to rest and recharge was the best feeling. Liam was grateful for the timing of the break, because it meant they were still all fresh and excited by the time his birthday show rolled around two weeks later. 

It also meant that he'd been able to order a few things to be delivered to his home in Surrey over the break to bring with him for the rest of the tour. The website had guaranteed very discreet packaging, and the delivery had lived up to that promise. He'd never have guessed what was in there if he hadn't ordered it himself.

He waited until his birthday to bring it up with Louis, wanting it to be special, somehow. They'd gone out the night of his birthday, but they had the next day off, and Liam intended to make the most of it. 

"Alright, I'm here, what's the big plan?" Louis asked. He walked into Liam's hotel room and stopped when he saw the box on Liam's bed. "What's that?"

Talking about it always seemed so much harder than just doing it, but he supposed he owed Louis a little bit of an explanation. "It's something I ordered while I was home over the break." 

Louis looked up at him, a huge grin spreading over his face. "Did you get up the nerve to buy yourself a bra, then? Or some stockings?" 

Liam felt himself blush as he shook his head. "No, I didn't--I thought you were supposed to buy me those, anyway," Liam said, changing course midway through the sentence. 

Louis held up his hands in defense. "Alright, no need to get your knickers in a twist." He winked at Liam. "And you'll get your present from me soon, don't worry."

That was too distracting a thought for Liam to contemplate right now. "Well, this is sort of my birthday present to myself, and it's sort of for you, too. I mean, it's definitely for you, but I," Liam paused and licked his lips, "I wanted it." 

Looking equal parts intrigued and baffled, Louis walked over to the box on top of the bed and flipped open the lid. His expression changed to complete astonishment when he saw what was inside. "Liam, what," he started to say and then stopped, lifting out the soft leather wrist cuffs. 

"I saw them online, and they seemed pretty nice, and I've already run the straps underneath the bed that you hook them to," Liam said quickly. 

Louis walked around the side of the bed and saw the two connecting leather straps dangling from the foot of the bed. "Where did you get these?"

"Online," Liam repeated. "I got the cuffs first, but then I didn't know what I'd cuff you _to,_ since none of our hotel beds have big metal posts or whatever. It was pretty easy to google, though." He'd got a bit overwhelmed, to be honest, many of the sites that had popped up when he put in "bondage on a bed" more than he had bargained for. After he had ordered them he'd cleared his history, just in case. 

"So buying yourself a bra is too much, but getting me bondage gear is fine?" Louis asked, still looking baffled. 

"That's different," Liam said, because it was, somehow. Buying stuff like this for Louis was one thing, but ordering himself a bra still made him flush just to think of it. But maybe he'd overstepped, here. "I mean, obviously we don't have to use this, if you don't want to," Liam said, feeling like perhaps this wasn't a nice surprise for Louis at all. "You just seem to like it when I hold you down--" 

"Liam," Louis began, but Liam talked over him. 

"--And I just figured I'd be able to do more to you, if I didn't have to worry about holding your wrists at the same time. If you want me to, I mean."

Louis was still holding one of the wrist cuffs, his fingers stroking gently over the leather. "So for your birthday, you bought yourself restraints to use on me so that you could make it even better for me?"

Liam nodded. 

Louis laughed suddenly. "Well, I'm not really sure why that's a birthday present to _you,_ but sure, Liam." Louis flung himself back onto the bed. "Go to town." 

"You should probably be naked first," Liam said, "since you won't be able to get out of your clothes once you're cuffed." 

Louis stared up at him, his face a challenge. "Are you asking me or telling me?"

Liam's heart thudded in his chest. "I'm telling you." 

"You going to make me?"

"No." Liam walked over to the box and took out the ankle cuffs. "But I'm not going to touch you until you're naked, so I think you'll do it anyway." He kept his focus on the cuffs, unbuckling them and testing the spring locks of the clasps. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Louis strip his t-shirt off, revealing the familiar sight of his skin, the shape of his body. 

"Alright, now what?" Louis demanded. 

Liam looked up at Louis. He was lying spread-eagled on the bed, his body bare, his half-hard dick beginning to curve up toward his belly. There was a light flush across his chest. Louis's skin showed everything so beautifully, every pinch and and scratch and bruise. Liam wanted to start touching him now, but he kept his hands to himself. The setup would be worth the wait.

"Now I cuff you," Liam said simply. He started with the ankle cuffs since he was already holding them. The soft leather fit around Louis's slender ankles perfectly, the black and silver contrasting with Louis's skin. Liam buckled the first one on, choosing the setting that left just a bit of give, but not too much. He walked around the foot of the bed and did the same to his other leg. 

Louis was watching him intently but didn't move an inch, not even when Liam made his way up to the head of the bed. His eyes slid shut when Liam buckled the first of the wrist cuffs, his fingers twitching against Liam's hand as he made sure they weren't too tight. 

The room felt still and quiet, like they were in a bubble cut off from the rest of the world. Liam could hear the sound of the leather strap sliding through the buckle, the soft creak of it, and Louis's shallow breathing as he worked so hard to keep still. Louis opened his eyes after Liam finished putting on the last cuff, the challenge in his expression joined by something new. 

Liam stroked his hand down Louis's chest and belly, stopping just above Louis's hard cock. "You ready?"

Louis nodded, desperation all Liam could see in his face now. 

The click of each strap onto the cuffs sounded like a countdown. Liam worked his way around the bed, securing the cuffs on Louis's left side and then his right, ending at his right wrist. Louis's eyes tracked him the whole way, the colour in his face high. 

Liam looked down over Louis's body and then met his eyes again, finally letting himself smile. "Hello," he said softly. 

"Liam," Louis begged, his hands in fists, and Liam leaned in and kissed him. 

Louis made a soft sound into his mouth. Liam let his hand trail down Louis's chest while he kissed Louis, keeping the touch light, hardly any pressure at all. When he pulled back from the kiss, Louis strained up after him. 

"No, I want," Louis gasped, and Liam grinned. 

"Too bad." Without warning he reached out and pinched Louis's nipple hard. 

Louis's back arched up off the bed. "Fuck," he panted. His muscles were already straining against the restraints, his entire body taut and braced. Liam let go of his nipple but leaned in to take the other one in his mouth, teeth sharp against the nub. He raked his fingernails down Louis's side, digging in hard. Louis twisted away, but he couldn't go far, and it just made it easier for Liam to bite down harder. 

Louis moaned and stopped struggling, his body collapsing back against the bed. For that, Liam rewarded him by kissing him again deeply, his fingers playing with the nipple he had just attacked. Louis's whole body trembled against Liam's touch. When Liam pulled back from the kiss, he saw that Louis's eyes were glazed over, his mouth open and wet.

He looked a bit like he did when he was high, except that while a stoned Louis was slightly fuzzy, all his edges blurring together, right now he was in high relief, no ambiguity there at all. Everything about him screamed want and need, and something else that made Liam even harder when he finally named it in his own head.

Liam knew when he bought the restraints what people used them for, and what he and Louis had been doing all summer long. He was the one who’d brought up having a safeword, after all. But knowing that was different from seeing it so clearly in Louis, watching him submit, watching him breathe through each cycle of tension and pain until Liam gave him the release he wanted. 

He scraped over Louis’s nipple with his thumbnail, watching as Louis arched up into the touch, his eyes slipping shut. With his other hand Liam scratched over Louis’s hipbone, curling down over the sensitive skin of Louis’s inner thigh. Louis’s dick bobbed as his hips flexed upward, precome leaking out onto his belly.

Liam took hold of Louis's balls and tugged them, gently at first and then harder when Louis whined. The flush had spread all over his chest, his skin covered in a sheen of sweat. Liam couldn’t believe Louis was letting him do this to him.

“Someday I want to fuck you while you’re cuffed,” he said. Without warning he leaned over and bit down hard over Louis’s hipbone. He felt it when Louis gasped above him, his belly shaking against Liam's mouth when Liam tightened his grip on Louis's balls.

Liam sat back up between Louis's legs, looking down at him. Louis's dick was as hard as Liam had ever seen it, curving up, the tip kissing Louis's belly, flushed dark. This thing between the two of them was all about instincts, always had been, and so Liam took a deep breath and squeezed Louis's balls harder with one hand and reached out to slap Louis's dick with the other.

Louis made a sound that Liam had never heard before, like something inside him had just broken, his entire body arching up into the contact. Liam didn't let himself think, just followed the unvoiced plea in that sound and slapped Louis's dick again, a bit harder this time. Mesmerised, he watched as Louis's dick twitched upward in response, the tip getting wetter as the precome dripped onto Louis's belly. Somehow he had got it right again.

He twisted Louis's balls, a shiver running through Louis's body in response. Louis's head was thrown back, his hair fanned out across the pillows, the line of his neck and jaw beautiful and vulnerable. Liam wanted to kiss him there, promised himself that he would just as soon as he'd finished torturing his dick.

After one final hard squeeze he slowly let go of Louis's balls, waiting and watching while Louis shuddered through it, taking quick short breaths. As soon as Louis had relaxed back onto the bed, his entire torso moving as he panted, Liam slapped his dick hard three times in succession.

Louis cried out, louder this time, the tension in his body rising to the surface once more as he strained against the cuffs, hands curled into tight fists. Liam pressed down hard on one hip while he wrapped his right hand around Louis's dick, his touch soft as he gently began stroking with hardly any pressure at all. But that simple touch was enough for Louis as he came almost immediately, gasping in big breaths of air.

Liam stroked lightly over Louis's skin as he came down from it, long slow sweeps of his hands up and down Louis's sides and then down his legs. He unclipped both of the ankle cuffs quickly, not bothering to unbuckle the cuffs themselves before moving back up Louis's body. Louis was still panting but the sound of his breathing had lost that desperate edge. He watched Liam through slitted eyes as Liam unclipped his wrist cuffs and drew Louis's hands toward his chest.

Liam kissed the tips of Louis's fingers and then curled himself around Louis's body, his arm resting lightly over Louis's belly. His forearm was getting sticky from Louis's come but he didn't care, the contact more important than anything else. Louis's hand closed over Liam's arm, holding him there, the wrist cuff soft against his skin. Liam nosed up Louis's neck, kissing the underside of his jaw lightly. 

Liam was still hard in his pants, his dick trapped against his fly, but he was in no rush. He could wait for round two, whether that was later this afternoon or after they'd rejoined the world for dinner, maybe. Right now his only focus was on Louis, waiting for him to recover.

Eventually Louis began to shift against him, and when Liam looked up at him his eyes were wide open and clear.

"Hi," Liam said gently, and cupped Louis's cheek and leaned in for a kiss. "Feel okay?"

Louis made a humming sound and nodded, kissing Liam in turn.

"Good," Liam said, and pulled back so he could see Louis more easily. 

Louis studied him. "You're always so nice to me." Louis's voice was soft and slow.

Liam looked down over Louis's body, at the angry red lines that marked his chest, his swollen nipples, the bruises that were already deeper in colour. "Nice?" he repeated, not quite sure he believed that.

"Yeah," Louis said simply. He rolled over toward Liam.

Liam snaked an arm around Louis's shoulders and and shifted until he was on his back, Louis tucked up against his side. "If you say so."

"I do," Louis murmured, and Liam closed his eyes, satisfied.

**_September_ **

_Louis_

The problem was, sometimes Louis didn't think he wanted nice. 

What he and Liam had was great, and impossible to take for granted, the tenderness of the bruises dotting his chest and belly a constant reminder of everything he'd never thought he'd actually have. But there was something still itching right under his skin, something he wanted to poke and prod at, or have someone else poke and prod at, more like. 

He turned it over in his head over the next week, not letting it out yet, not even when he had Liam on his knees sucking him off or he returned the favour. There was surely always a next step, another boundary to break down, a bit further to go.

Louis waited until they had two full days off between shows, which felt like a month of free time. There was still work to be done, of course, even on days without a concert, but he could get Liam to himself for an afternoon and an evening, and that would be enough. It would have to be. 

They had been snogging on the hotel bed for a while, Liam's fingers unerringly finding Louis's bruises and pressing in, like they belonged to him. And they did, in a way, they were his creation and responsibility, and Louis shifted into his hands rather than away. 

"Do you want the cuffs again?" Liam was looking eager, but shifted gears easily enough when Louis shook his head. "Or I could blow you, if you wanted." When Louis didn't answer, still trying to find the right words in his head, Liam kept guessing. "Did you--did you actually get me a bra?"

Louis shook his head again, now wishing that he had. "No, not yet." 

"Oh." A flash of disappointment crossed Liam's face for a moment, and Louis began to feel even worse. 

That might be a good place to start though. "Tell me I'm an idiot for it."

"What?"

Louis poked Liam. "I mean, I promised you that I would, and I haven't, so I've been an idiot. And disappointed you." 

Liam shook his head. "Louis, it's really not--"

"I saw your face, I know you were disappointed," Louis interrupted. His heart was pounding and his stomach felt a bit queasy, but he didn't know how else to say it. 

Liam peered at him, still looking confused. "Do you mean, like, some sort of weird dirty talk?"

"Yes, exactly that," Louis said, seizing on before he could lose his nerve. "So like, yell at me a bit and then slap me around like you've done in the past."

"Because you'll like it?" Liam persisted.

Louis waved his hand a bit. "Of course, now come on." 

He sat there and waited for Liam to do it, to scratch the itch that was just beneath the surface. But Liam didn't say anything, just stared at Louis and opened and then shut his mouth again. 

"I don't know what to say," Liam said finally. "Can we talk about it?"

Louis shook his head. "There's no point in talking about it, I just need you to do it," he said, not even sure what he was asking for anymore. 

"I don't--" Liam cut himself off and shook his head. He took a deep breath and then continued, "Can I try kissing you again first?"

"I'm not going to say no to that," Louis answered. 

"Alright," Liam said, and he leaned in and kissed Louis gently. Louis could feel the hesitation in his touch, and he tried to relax into it, to make Liam trust that he was doing it right. Gradually the kiss lost that sense of anxiety, Liam's hands moving with confidence over Louis's body, his fingers finding Louis's nipple for a hard pinch. 

Louis gasped and pulled away from the kiss, just a bit. "That's for being an idiot," Liam said, his eyes looking over Louis's face like he could find an answer there. 

Soon Louis's head would surely start to get a bit fuzzy and would fall into that glorious quiet space where the only thing that mattered was Liam. Right now everything felt a bit too bright and sharp. "Keep going," he said. 

"Right," Liam said. He licked his lips. "You've been so bad," he said finally, without an ounce of conviction.

"Liam, come on," Louis complained. 

"I'm trying!" Liam snapped back. He dug his fingers into Louis's side, but even that wasn't enough to make Louis feel anything other than ridiculous. "I don't know what I'm meant to do."

"You have every other time," Louis said. "Maybe just commit to it a bit more."

Liam nodded, looking both determined and hopeless. "Sometimes I think you just need a good smack," he said, and followed up it with a slap across Louis's face. 

Liam had done loads of things to him that had hurt far more than that slap did, but Louis still gasped at the impact, pressed his hand against the bright memory of pain in his cheek. He had a moment to consider that perhaps this worked better when he was already hard, and then both of Liam's hands were on his head. 

"Louis, I'm sorry, I didn't--I thought you wanted me to do that, I'm saying red now, red red red, I'm sorry--"

Liam's words washed over him and jolted him out of his momentary daze. "Liam, it's fine, I'm alright--"

"You're not okay, I slapped you," Liam said miserably. 

"Yeah, because I asked you to. And you've slapped me on stage before," Louis added. The sting had just about gone from his cheek. 

"It's different, it's different when it's just lads having a laugh," Liam said, gesturing between the two of them. "On stage I'm not saying terrible things about you."

"You have done on occasion," Louis pointed out, but Liam was having none of it. 

"It's not the same! How am I meant to love you when I'm saying such rubbish to you?" Liam asked, his voice full of self-loathing. 

Louis decided not to comment on Liam saying the word love. Liam had always loved Louis, it didn't matter. "You spank me and tie me up and give me bruises," Louis said instead. 

"Yeah, but that's different!" Liam protested again. 

"How is it different?"

"Because I like doing that stuff!" Liam finally shouted, and then looked almost horrified. 

 

_Liam_

There was a pause, and Liam put his hands over his face. His stomach was roiling with anxiety.

He only uncovered his face when Louis said softly, "I'm glad you like doing that stuff."

Liam couldn't believe that was true, when he'd just slapped Louis across the face because he didn't know what else to do. "Why?"

"Because I love it, and I'd hate to think you were just humouring me," Louis said simply. 

"But I," Liam stopped and swallowed hard before starting again, "but I don't have a bloody clue what I'm doing, not really." 

Louis shrugged. "Neither do I. And we got this far before that bit us in the arse, so."

Liam nodded slowly. "So then. Is that it, then?"

For the first time in this whole conversation Louis actually looked worried. "Why would that be it? We just tried something that doesn't work for us, that's all. You don't want to say mean things to me."

It seemed like such a strange thing to feel guilty about, but he did. "I don't, I'm sorry."

"Even though you liked it when I yelled at you during FIFA," Louis said, looking at him closely. 

Liam flushed hard at the memory. "That's--"

"--different," they both said together. Louis smiled at him. "I thought so."

"What are we doing?" Liam finally asked. 

Louis cocked his head to the side. "Well, aside from being idiots--"

"--aside from that, obviously," Liam said, agreeing.

"--we're having kinky sex. That maybe we should talk about a bit more," Louis said, rueful.

"I think most of it has been okay," Liam offered. 

"Most of it has been incredible, what are you talking about?" Louis said, sounding offended for both of them.

"And also I love you," Liam continued. "So I--I don't want to do this if we're not both happy with it. I'm sorry I slapped you like that," he said again, staring down at his hands, another wave of guilt coursing through him. 

He startled a little when Louis reached out and clasped his hand. "I'm sorry for pushing you into something you didn't want to do. 

Liam breathed out in one great gust, finally feeling better. "I can try again?"

Louis shook his head. "Nah, I don't think it was actually what I was looking for anyway." He squeezed Liam's hand. "I could do with a bit of a cuddle right now, though."

He had barely finished saying it before Liam was tugging him down and getting his arms round him, Louis tucked in against his side, his head on Liam's chest. Liam couldn't keep his hands still, sweeping up and down Louis's back and over his arms, a constant motion of comfort and connection. The tension slowly seeped out of both of them until their bodies fit together again.

"I love you too, you know," Louis said finally. There was an uncertain thinness to his voice, like he was nervous. 

"I know," Liam said back. 

Louis pinched his belly, and Liam's entire body twitched from the shock. "Alright, Han Solo."

"Louis, of course I knew you loved me. I wouldn't--how could I not?" Liam asked, fairly reasonably, he thought. "It's nice to hear it, though," he added. 

"Well, I thought you _should_ hear it," Louis said definitively. 

"Alright," Liam said, willing to let Louis say nice things if he needed to. 

"Because that's more important than any of this stuff," Louis went on, sounding determined. "Like, I love doing this stuff with you, but you're more important." 

"Louis--"

"I love it when you dom me and I love it when you sub for me but mostly I just love you," Louis said finally, his body tense and rigid next to Liam's.

Liam shuffled down until he was facing Louis and kissed him, trying to put all of the reassurance he could into that one gesture. "I love you, too," he said after breaking away from the kiss, one hand still caressing Louis's face. "And I love both of those things," he added, not quite up to saying it as bluntly as Louis had. 

Louis noticed. "What things?" he asked, grinning at Liam. 

Suddenly the air in the room felt so much lighter. "You know," Liam said, poking at Louis a bit. 

"Liam, it's important that we talk about this," Louis chided him. 

"Fine!" Liam said, about a second away from a fit of the giggles. "I love it when you dom me or when you're my sub." 

"You like being my good little sub?" Louis asked, and it should have sounded ridiculous and almost embarrassing, but instead it just sounded nice. 

"Yes," Liam said. 

"Well, I guess that's settled, then," Louis said, shifting against Liam until he had both of them arranged to his liking. 

"I guess so," Liam answered, and held on. 

 

_Louis_

The key was to get right back on the horse again, and not let it turn into something bigger than it was. Louis had never actually put that theory to the test with actual horses, but he certainly had with a bad day of football, and he knew how important it was to get back on track quickly. 

So he didn't waste any time the next day, cut off the conversation before it could really start. Normally he was more than willing to indulge Liam while he told Louis about every thought he'd had since they'd seen each other the day before, but today Louis was on a mission.

"Do you remember what you said to me when you had me all cuffed on the bed last week?" Louis asked after barely saying hello first.

Liam flushed. "You'll, uh, have to be a bit more specific, I think?" 

"You said you wanted to fuck me while I was cuffed like that," Louis reminded him. A lot of Louis's memories of that night were fuzzy, only a small collection of images in bright colours popping out amidst the general sense of surrender. But Louis remembered those specific words clearly enough, the timbre of Liam's voice when he said it.

Liam swallowed hard, his dark eyes looking almost black. "Yeah, I remember saying that." 

"Did you mean it?" Louis asked. "Because I'd be up for that today if you'd fancy it."

Frowning, Liam took a step toward him. "Louis, are you sure--"

"I'm completely sure," Louis said, and closed the gap between them, cupping Liam's face with one hand. "I'm not going to break, and I'm not afraid of you. I just want to do the stuff that we both want to do."

Liam's hands had come up around Louis's waist, his thumbs stroking over his skin through his t-shirt. "Stuff, huh?" Liam asked, looking more like the Liam Louis knew best and less like a spooked rabbit. 

"Sex," Louis clarified helpful. "You fucking me while I'm tied down, doing whatever you want," and he cheered inwardly when Liam cut him off with a kiss, holding him so tightly that Louis couldn't have got away if he'd wanted to. All the tension in his body melted out of him as he gave himself over to the kiss, trusting Liam to hold them both up for as long as necessary. 

"How do you want it?" Liam asked between kisses, shuffling Louis backwards toward the bed. "It'll take me a minute to get the straps set up under the bed, or I could cuff your wrists behind your back?"

Heat flared through Louis's belly at the idea of being on his knees, hands cuffed at the small of his back, Liam tugging him back onto his cock while he fucked him. Someday he would get that, but maybe not today. "Would it take long, to get the straps ready?" he asked, pulling Liam back down for another kiss before he could answer.

Liam shook his head no while still kissing Louis, one hand curled into his hair. "No," he said finally, sounding out of breath and desperate, "no, I can get it done in no time." And without another word he was spinning out of Louis's arms and running to a big brown bag that was on the seat of the armchair. 

Mesmerised, Louis watched while Liam got the whole setup out of his bag and then brought it over to the bed. The duvet and top sheet came off first, most of the pillows on the floor by now as well, and then Liam was getting the straps situated under the mattress just as quickly and competently as he pitched a tent. Belatedly Louis realised Liam would have the bed set up before Louis had even managed to get himself naked, so he hurried out of his clothes, yanking his briefs down just as Liam had finished securing the straps and turned to him. 

"Oh," Liam breathed, his eyes roving over Louis's body, his focus no longer on solving the bondage puzzle and back on Louis where he wanted it. 

Louis held his arms out. "Yeah, so what--"

"Come here," Liam interrupted, his voice containing none of the hesitation that had been there earlier. He sounded confident and certain and Louis's dick got a bit harder just from hearing it, bobbing up toward his belly. 

Liam's slow smile said he hadn't missed the impact his words had had on Louis. But he didn't speak again, just waited until Louis did what he said and walked over to him. 

"Now hold out your right hand," Liam said. Louis did and then watched as Liam got the first cuff secured around his wrist, the leather soft and familiar and bizarrely comforting even though this was only the second time he had worn them. He held out his left hand as soon as the right cuff was buckled and was rewarded with a smile.

"Thought you might need a spanking before we got started, but maybe not," Liam said as he got the left cuff on. Things had already got a bit fuzzy in Louis's brain. "No, I don't think so," Liam continued, leaning in to kiss Louis softly. His hands were wrapped around the leather cuffs, the soft pressure and the careful touch of Liam's lips the only things Louis needed to focus on. "Let's get you on the bed." 

 

_Liam_

When Liam had imagined tying Louis up and fucking him, it had always been fast and hard and a bit brutal, the final confrontation after an epic play fight that Liam finally won, to both of their satisfaction.

This wasn't like that at all. 

Louis didn't struggle to get the upper hand before eventually conceding to Liam. He just watched Liam, pupils blown wide, while Liam hooked his wrist cuffs to the straps and got a pillow under his arse, his whole body relaxed and content and trusting. Liam had never had anyone give themselves over to him so fully before, and he wasn't going to waste this gift. 

So he spent a long while touching Louis with his hands and then his mouth, observing what Louis responded to best, Louis's body telling Liam everything he needed to know. He pressed a first finger inside while taking Louis's dick down as far as he could, the raw sounds of Louis's reaction filling his head and getting louder when he added a second and third finger. He curled his fingers up and pressed down with his other hand on Louis's belly at the same time, needing to touch him in every way. 

Every time they had sex Liam thought of something else he wanted to do; now he couldn't stop thinking about seeing how many times he could make Louis come while keeping him tied up, how quickly he could make him recover because he knew Louis's body that well. He put that idea in a mental back pocket for now though, regretting it only a little as he pulled off of Louis's cock, giving the head a final lick.

With Louis's ankles up over Liam's shoulders, he slowly pushed inside, his eyes not leaving Louis's face. Louis's head was thrown back on the pillow, eyes closed and mouth open, colour high on his cheeks. Liam steadied himself once he had bottomed out, planted his hands on either side of Louis's chest, and slowly, slowly began to fuck him. 

Each thrust in made Louis moan like it was pulled out of him. Louis's legs slipped down off Liam's shoulders, caught in the crooks of Liam's elbows as he braced himself higher on the bed. Liam pressed his face next to Louis's as he fucked him, wanting to feel his response. 

"God, I fucking love you," he whispered against Louis's neck. He could taste the salt of his sweat there. "I don't ever want to stop fucking you, you're mine, you know that?" 

Louis moaned, the sound low in his throat, and Liam fucked him harder in response, his entire body shaking from the effort. 

"I just want you to feel good, do you, can you come like this? Come on, sweetheart, come for me, I know you can." And like that Louis gave a hoarse cry and came, clenching down around Liam, his dick jerking and pulsing against Liam's stomach. 

"Oh my god," Liam gasped, not quite believing that Louis had actually come when he'd told him to. "Oh my god, you're so," and he bit down on Louis's shoulder and thrust over and over again until he came, trembling, blood roaring in his ears.

He waited until he'd begun to go soft inside Louis before pulling out, not wanting the moment to end. But finally he sat back and let Louis's legs down, his dick sliding out. Louis was quiet now, his once harsh breathing now soft and steady, his eyes slowly blinking at Liam. He left Louis alone just long enough to grab a wet flannel from the bathroom and came back to clean them both up with long, thorough swipes. And then he unhooked both of the cuffs and pulled the duvet back up to cover them both, Louis held tight in his arms. 

The room felt too silent, Liam's thoughts threatening to become too loud, so he started to hum and then sing. He had finished Long Way Down and was halfway through What a Feeling, changing half the words, when he felt Louis shifting against him. He broke off mid-chorus and said, "Hello," following it up with a kiss on his cheek. 

"Hi," Louis said softly, stretching and getting his leg over Liam's. 

"How are you feeling?" Liam asked, fingers stroking up and down Louis's back. 

"Like I've just been shagged into next week," Louis said, his voice smug. 

Liam hugged him close. "Well, that's alright, then."

"You're alright," Louis said, and bit Liam just under his ear. 

Liam closed his eyes and breathed.

**_Epilogue_ **

_Liam_

They'd been back in the U.K. for five days when Louis walked into Liam's house carrying three large shopping bags. 

"What's all this?" Liam asked.

Louis dropped all of the bags while still standing in the foyer. "They're for you," he said, and leaned in to kiss him. 

Liam bent over to rifle through one of the bags, still not getting it until he pulled out a tiny pink skirt. "Oh," he said, certain that his face was quickly matching the colour of the skirt. It was silky smooth and, he discovered once he held it up against his hips, very short. "This will barely cover my arse, Louis." 

"Good thing you won't be wearing it out of the house, then," Louis said. "I got you some heels to go with it, and a few other things, but let's start with just the skirt and heels for now, and leave the rest for later." Louis handed him the bag with the shoes in it. 

"I'll just go in the bathroom to change, I suppose?" Liam asked, feeling oddly shy about getting into a skirt in front of Louis. 

"Meet you in the bedroom!" Louis called out over his shoulder, already on his way there. 

Liam had just started a workout when Louis had arrived, an hour earlier than expected. He considered jumping in the shower, but in truth he was too eager to get the skirt on, not willing to wait. After giving his armpits a sniff, he decided it was good enough and left on his white vest, tugging his basketball shorts down and off before picking up the skirt again. 

It was made of a stretchy fabric that was around the waist and then flared out into a full skirt. He couldn't imagine where Louis had found it, or if he'd asked his sisters for help. He pushed aside such thoughts and made himself step into the skirt, tugging it up his legs and then getting it properly situated around his hips. After a bit of debate he tucked the vest into the skirt, smoothing the fabric all around. 

When he looked at himself in the mirror, it was all he could do not to cover his eyes. It was one thing to feel the way he did about wearing a skirt; it was another thing to see that reflected on his face. He focused on the skirt itself, the way his dick was even more obvious than it was in trousers or jeans. Twisting around, he skimmed his hands over the top of the back of his thighs, right underneath the fall of the skirt. 

Heart pounding, he stared at himself while he came to a decision and reached up under the skirt to tug his briefs down, the fabric of the skirt light and soft and unbearably arousing on his bare skin. 

Now came the real test. He opened the box of shoes and took out the pair of strappy heels Louis had bought for him, wondering idly how long Louis must have searched to find heels in Liam's size. He slipped his right foot into the shoe, bending over to buckle the strap, aware of just how close to naked he really was. After getting his left shoe on, he stood back up and cautiously took a few steps. He couldn't go breaking his leg or his neck because he fell while wearing high heels; the tabloids would never stop writing about it. 

All such thoughts vanished the second he wobbled into his bedroom and saw Louis's reaction. "Yeah?" he asked, still a bit uncertain. His hands were clutching at the sides of his skirt; he made himself let go. 

"Yeah," Louis replied firmly, his eyes flicking down over Liam's legs and then back up to his face. 

And he really did have to look up at Liam, the heels giving him the kind of height advantage he'd never had with Louis before. "Hello, down there," Liam said, grinning widely and cocking his hip to the right. 

He had to back up quickly when Louis almost charged him, quick little steps on the balls of his feet until his back was up against the wall, Louis bracketing him with his whole body even while Liam had five inches of height on him. "Yeah, I think I like this angle," Louis said, his hands stroking up and down the outside of Liam's legs, fingers running across the grain of the hair. 

"Louis," Liam gasped, hands braced on Louis's shoulders, his dick lifting the skirt up as it got harder. 

"You're not wearing anything under there at all, you slag," Louis said, sounding delighted and a bit proud. His hands had moved to Liam's inner thighs, the light touch driving Liam mad. 

"It was too short," Liam protested, his head thunking back against the wall when Louis's fingers brushed over his balls before moving back down his legs. 

"I think you just wanted to show off for me," Louis said, reaching around to caress the backs of Liam's thighs now, moving up to the crease of his arse. 

"Yes, I did, I wanted you to see," Liam agreed. His legs were unsteady in the heels as he tried to slouch down closer to Louis's touch.

But Louis was having none of it, his hands a perfect, constant tease. "Later on I'm going to put you in the stockings I bought you." He dragged his fingers up the back of Liam's thighs. "But right now I'm going to mess up your pretty skirt." And without any other warning he got his hand around Liam's dick and began to wank him off, Liam's balance even more precarious now. 

"Oh, fuck, Louis, I can't," he panted, fingers digging into Louis's shoulders. He closed his eyes and bit down on his lip and came, only his grip on Louis and Louis's other hand holding onto his arse keeping him upright as he shook through it. 

"What a messy little girl," he heard Louis say, the words making him shudder. Liam slowly slid down the wall until his legs suddenly kicked out, the shoes finally taking their revenge, and he was sat on the floor on his bare arse, the back of the skirt riding up his back. 

He looked up at Louis, at his visibly hard dick trapped in his jeans. "You can come on me, if you want," Liam said, pointing at his own face in case Louis had somehow missed his meaning. 

Louis laughed like it had been surprised out of him, and then shook his head. "Nah," he said, and crouched down on the floor, getting his hands on Liam's right foot. "I can wait until you try the stockings on."

"Okay," Liam said, more focused on Louis unbuckling first his right shoe and then his left, and how good his feet felt to be free of them. He had no idea how women went around in heels all day. He groaned when Louis pressed his thumbs into the arch of his foot and then massaged up toward his toes, taking his time with both feet. "You're good at that."

"I'm good at a lot of things," Louis said, and Liam smiled. 

"I win," Liam said, holding his arms up briefly in triumph before closing his eyes and letting Louis continue to take care of his feet, only just hearing Louis say back, "Me, too."

**Author's Note:**

> This fic focuses on a switch dynamic (Liam and Louis both dom and sub in the relationship, depending on the scene) in a consensual BDSM relationship. Specific kinks included are bondage/restraints, praise kink, service sub, orgasm denial, pain play, possessive marking, face fucking, subspace and aftercare, spanking, exhibitionism, punishment, crossdressing, feminization, and humiliation. There is also a scene in which one of the characters uses a safeword in a scene, and the safeword is respected.


End file.
